Feeling the organizational vibe

I think we're going to get some of the Sydney-specific EXPECTATIONs done this weekend. My plan is to clear out the cabinet under her bathroom counter, and remove all the dinosaur-centric decor from the bathroom itself. We're going to get her some new stuff for the bathroom, and hopefully, a new and better organizational lifestyle in there, too.

    As for her bedroom, my goal is to replace all the kid-sized Ikea hangers in her closet with the adult-sized Target hangers. This shouldn't take too long, but we also need to clean out the shirts we're rehanging, because a good amount of them are little-kid shirts.

    As for me, I'm thinking I'll situate the loft/office space and put away stuff and all that kind of thing. That room becomes a bit of a catch-all during the holidays, so it definitely needs some attention. I've been ticking away at it, but I may be able to finish up over the next couple days. Perhaps some time spent on the computer pulling together the tax informations will be a good task to get done, as well.

    All these things getting done means more stuff piling up in Mom's room, but once all that work is centralized there, I can toss, donate, repurpose or whatever as I go throuh it.

Sleepy time, night nights

Time for a quick check-in on my EXPECTATIONs.

    I have one in particular that I'd like to update: EXPECTATION 2. "Relax the grip I have on Trazodone to sleep." Almost a week ago, last Saturday night, in fact, I cut back on my Trazodone dosage (which is prescribed, by the way). I was taking two per night with a couple Advil PMs, and having a wonderful night sleep because of them.

    Background: Up until my, shall we say, slight breakdown last May, I was an excellent sleeper. My favorite time of day was rolling over to fall asleep at night. I had the ability to just close my eyes and go to sleep. I love sleep, and to grasp it so quickly every night was awesome.

    But once the breakdown happened, I wasn't sleeping at all, barely two hours a night, and was generally freaking out, crying, not eating and had developed tachycardia. A visit to the doctor got my heartbeat under control and the Trazodone helping me sleep. Other things took care of the root of the issue, but the Trazodone was something I wasn't willing to give up for my nights. This was in June/July, and I've been coddling my cocktail every night since then.

    Walgreens having to contact the doctor to refill my prescription a couple months ago, for a prescription that only was supposed to be for a couple months in the first place, got me concerned about my dependence on the meds to help me fall asleep. In the time since then, I'd tried a couple times to decrease the dosage, but had a terrible night sleep that night, which freaked me out, and I went back to the two.

    The same thing happened last Saturday. I slept terrible on the one pill. But Sunday, because I'd slept poorly the night before, was a better night because I was so tired. Happily, since then, I've had good sleeps, and I actually think I may be feeling a bit "awaker" in the morning, though that just may be my imagination. But the good news is, only one dose a night. And in a month, we'll try cutting it out entirely. I'll still be taking the Advil PMs, don't mistake me there, but the Trazodone life is getting close to passing me by.

And the there was "Dark Fate"

I'm watching "Terminator: Dark Fate" and I'm a bit disappointed by it. Brian and I saw it in the theater, and I feel the same way tonight as I felt then. That is was a missed opportunity. They had Arnold and Linda Hamilton back in the fold, and they waste them with this particular movie. An ugh plot and weird loopholes and just not great all the way around.

    And can I just say? Why is it that we finally get a female Terminator, and she's got some crazy weakness where she's actually just an augmented human who requires some kind of meds to stay healthy, so she can't fight as well against the boys? Like, why can't she be a badass Terminator like Arnold? Why does she need to be less of a Terminator? Who's feelings would be hurt by an actual female Terminator being the hero here?

    I'd ask all the movie executives why they couldn't stomach a story with a strong and powerful Terminator, but they probably all have penises and are intimidated by that kind of thing. Having said that, I still wish the story itself was better.

Who said the desert doesn't get super cold?

There was no "snow" today, so it was a pretty normal existence for us this Tuesday.

    Having said that, it was quite cold outside all day. The high temperature was 48 degrees, and it was wet and gray clouds and stormy looking. Actually, I quite loved it. I wore an actual hat, and put on an actual jacket for work this morning. I wore cozy shoes, and had the seat heaters on whenever I was in the car. Sydney and I journeyed out to Dunkin' for hot chocolate amongst our afternoon activities. It was pretty awesome. I believe it's supposed to be cool tomorrow and for the rest of the week, too. What am I discovering though? I need more sweaters.

    Also, proving what we already knew after living in this house for almost eight years, this place is terrible at keeping the outside temperature outside. During the summer, we can't keep the house cool. In the winter, we can't keep it warm. As for today's wretched cold and super cold forecast tonight, I'm thinking of keeping the heater on overnight. I have never done that, and I think if I do it, I'll have to lower the thermostat to 66 instead of the 68 it's been at all afternoon and evening. No need to go crazy, right?

    "I said Brrrrr, it's cold in here... There must be some winter in the atmosphere..."

It was quite cold, you know

It wasn't snow, not at all. What it was, was slushy, wet, heavy, cold and kinda white. It was all over my car from my drive home, all over the grass in my backyard, and built up along the outside of the house.

    Sydney has never seen snow fall, and because this stuff was somewhat close to what snow could be, she was very excited to walk through it and even make a small snowman. It was very fun, and once again, I realize that we definitely need to get her into some real snow sometime soon.

    Other than that, I have a terrible headache and it's time for bed.

Imagine a big hole ripped out of the bottom

I'm finding a lot of happiness in the fact that I have out-strategized my 4-year-old dog.

    PROBLEM: She likes to crawl about under my bed a lot; it's her hideout, safe place and toy depository. I love that she has such a place of her own in the house, but in her little cave, she also has discovered that she can rip through the thin fabric at the bottom of my bed's boxspring. She's become quite adept at the ripping, and because of that, I have a sizable hole in the boxspring's under fabric. My issue is that she also chews on this fabric, and it's that weird, wispy, stringy stuff and I just don't want her swallowing that.

    SOLUTION: I have a large under-bed bin that holds notebooks, catalogs, randoms, and other sentimental, useful stuff. I have recently shifted the bin to the left about two feet so that it now rests directly under the hole she's dug, instead of near, or next to, it.

    Every time she goes under the bed and I don't hear her dig in her hole or pull at it with her teeth, is a personal victory. A victory over a 4-year-old Lhasa Apso, but still, a valid victory in the battle of life.

I like to say "Damn," like, a lot

Brian and I sat and watched the entirety of "History of Swear Words" on Netflix tonight, and I honestly can't recommend this series enough. Each swear word has its own 20-minute segment, and it's super interesting how the words go from their origins and how they're distorted by time and slang into what we say now. What's amazing, of course, is how a swear word can mean so many different things, but also, always the same thing. Etymology is an fascinating thing and right now I can say that I'm super bummed I didn't know that it could be a career choice when I was in school. Totes would have done that.

Pic is not from the finale, but awesome anyway

At this moment, I'm finishing up the last episode of "Lovecraft Country," and meeting one of my January EXPECTATIONs. I really wanted to watch the rest of it tonight so I can get started on my book tomorrow.

    I won't lie though, this show is so weird and crazy that I really just want to be done with it so I won't hold on to the brain space for it anymore. I'm ready for this particular chapter to be finished. And oh my god, something creepy is happening and I don't like scary shit and now I'm all nervous sitting here watching this alone. Damn it. Okay, wow. She popped her head.

    Alrighty then! So that's done! Time to get some sleep.

Sleep well and deeply, for tomorrow is a bright day

So that was a pretty extraordinary day, wasn't it? Almost extraordinary in its normalcy, if that's possible. No drama, no divisive rhetoric, no pouty faces or horrifying displays. A normal day and a normal inauguration. A normal president. I can't imagine that so much of the country doesn't sleep better tonight knowing that they won't wake up tomorrow wondering what our country's leader tweeted about while he was sitting on the toilet at 3 a.m. I feel a general, though great, sense of, "Ah, the adults are in the room now."

    Also, hey ladies, there's a woman sitting in national office and she's rock-solid awesome. All the displays of solidarity and support shown on a national stage today made me so happy and proud to be a part of that glorious sisterhood. I had hoped to live to see a woman president, and I will take a woman vice president as a step in a very positive way every fucking day of the week. She's a glass-shattering, iconic, pillar of amazingness, and I'm so happy I was able to see her get sworn in today.

    And a moment for Amanda Gorman, who put together such a stunning poem with beautiful cadence and enviable wordsmithery (not a real word, but applicable here). Her recitation, her gestures, her words and her poise make her my new hero, and I can't wait to see what she does next. Poets don't get enough (or any) respect in this world of memes, YouTube videos, 24-hour coverage and un-nuanced all caps, so it was a breath of fresh air to watch Anderson Cooper fanboy over her in an interview and then to listen to all of the CNN panel gush over her. She tweeted tonight that her books are now number 1 and 2 on Amazon, and I can think of no one that deserves that kind of recognition more. She was a stunning surprise to me today, and I'm now a lifelong fan. Give her a follow on Twitter: @TheAmandaGorman.

    I'm eager to sit tomorrow and read about all the good that has already been done, and how no one has suggested or done anything terrible to anyone. This is the dawn of a new day, kids, and I'm feeling good.

From whackadoodle to romance, how I like it

So I think I've made some progress on my EXPECTATION for watching/binging a show/movie. I watched two more episodes of HBO's "Lovecraft Country" this afternoon, and now I only have three more until I've finished the season. I've banked them all on the DVR, but this show is so crazy and visually overwhelming that I really can't watch more than two at a time. So three more, and then I think I will move on to "Bridgerton" on Netflix.

    Also today was my second day of longer working hours at my job, and happily, they didn't hurt as much as yesterday. I was able to get more accomplished, and even was helpful editorially, which is what I'm most pleased with. My lunch was quite delicious, as I had a peanut butter and boysenberry jam sandwich. The jam was wonderful, and the sandwich kept my lunch points to a satisfactory number for the day.

    Sydney and I figured out her classes for school next year, and now I am officially feeling very accomplished for this Tuesday.

EXPECTATIONs for 2021

I spent a few minutes the other day coming up with my 2021 EXPECTATIONs, and I think I'm ready to share them with you.

EXPECTATION 1: Save some money, and pay off some stuff. Almost immediately, within a month or two, I can start saving more for my new car, and pay off one of the credit cards. My new raise and the lack of a student loan with help with that almost immediately. Once that card is paid off, payments towards another card can get more hefty and aggressive. And hopefully, this time next year, I'll be in better shape.

EXPECTATION 2: Relax the grip I have on Trazodone to sleep. I started taking it last summer, and I can't seem to sleep well without it. I need to just take a couple weeks and wean myself down, but it's proving difficult, and the sleep doesn't come as readily without my full dose.

EXPECTATION 3: I'd like to write/finish two new Mystic & Boysen stories. I don't know if I'll invest in having them developed into books, but I feel like I've got another couple stories in me. I'd like to try, at least.

EXPECTATION 4: The Monthly Goals. One book per month, one new show/movie per month. I miss exercising my brain with some books, and I have so many shows and movies to watch and binge, it's crazy. I'm going to hope for more than one a month of each, but I figure one is a good goal that will probably get met with ease and regularity.

EXPECTATION 5: Get back on the WW wagon. I've fallen off since before Christmas, though I haven't gained much, and I'm still 11 pounds from my goal, so I really need to jump back on that wagon big time. I did okay today, even accounting for the desserts, and I'm feeling better about tomorrow and the next day. Let's get back to losing instead of gaining, okay?

EXPECTATION 6: Try the inflatable mattress on the folding bed in the guest room. If Mom likes it, we'll stick with it, if not, we'll get a new mattress.

EXPECTATION 7: Fix/replace/organize house stuff, including, but not limited to, donate some puzzles to make room for more; change decor stuff on my dresser; purge stuff; Sydney's bathroom cabinet, and her bathroom decor; Sydney's bedroom linens; bookshelf in office; my bathroom cabinet, under bed, office cart and file cabinet, and shoes; figure out something cool for hallway cubby wall.

EXPECTATION 8: I'd say eat better and cook something every once in a while, but who are we kidding with that?

The house ... is cleansed

Today, we got our smudge on. We finally cleaned out the house of all the leftover 2020 stuff, put away the Christmas decorations, and organized a lot of the random stuff. Then it was time to light the sage and wave our smoke around. As I told you, I had the abalone shell, I covered the holes from the inside with some painters tape and then put some soil inside to tamp out the flames on the sage. I made a fan out of paper so we could wave the smoke around, and even though we had no chant or prayer to say, we got busy cleansing the home.

    Problem: The sage wasn't smoking as much as I thought it would, or like it looked like it would in all the tutorial videos I'd watched on YouTube. So Sydney walked around with the lighter so we could constantly relight the sage and make it smoke more again. That was a bit of a drag, and I wonder if maybe the sage we had was just too thick of a bundle. It seemed as though the inside never really lit properly.

    We persevered though (as we do), and got the whole place smudged. And oh my goodness, does my house smell like burning plants! I'm sure we're nose-blind to it right now, and I expect it'll hit me like bricks when I open the door tomorrow afternoon, but at this moment, I don't smell it anymore.

    I feel like next year, or maybe before summer kicks in, I'll find another sage bundle and we'll see if it works the same as this one. All in all, I highly recommend the practice, and I'm a believer.

Wanda is still the awesomest

Hey so remember a couple days ago when I told you that I asked for a raise? Well, I found out today that I got it! Very! Exciting! And I start my longer days on Monday. So work things are changing and expanding. My duties are changing and expanding. I won't be going back to full time, which is still ideal, but I will start to get more stuff done every day, and dig into some editorial, too. All good things.

    Brian and I watched the first two episodes of "WandaVision" tonight. I'm super intrigued, but I'll say that I thought the episodes were just a little slow? There's something wrong with the show, and that's what's intriguing. The wrongness of it has tickled my curiosity, and the little weird Easter eggs are enough to keep me for sure interested in seeing what happens next. There are nine episodes, and with seven to go, there's a lot to see of what happens next.

    Also, we watched the first three episodes of "The Queen's Gambit." I've already seen it; Brian hasn't, and I volunteered to sit and rewatch it with him. Brian's luxury is that when something may or may not be bad, he theorizes out loud and I'll tell him yes or no. I wish *I* had someone to tell me that the adoptive parents didn't turn out creepy or terrible. Instead I had to watch and wait and see how the story unfolded in suspense. B doesn't live like that, and he's pretty happy that I can make the show less suspenseful for him. I'm excited to watch the rest of it with him; such a good show!

I love my new robe

The robe my mom bought for me for Christmas was returned to me via mail today, and the tailoring I asked for has made the robe the best thing in my entire closet. I requested that some elastic be inserted into the cuffs of the robe. I didn't want to have to fold up the sleeves, or worry about them falling when I push them up. The tailor did a fantastic job and I am very, very happy.

Brian contends that I look very much like a princess in my robe (it's a short robe too, reaching down to my knees), while I feel more like a cozy, warm polar bear kinda. It's awesome.

And in celebration of the robe, I'm going to post a pic of it for you. The pic makes it look a bit purple, but it's really a delightful shade of baby blue. Don't mind the binder clip at the neck, that'll be replaced with some ribbon or something so I can tie it closed up there. The usual robe belt will probably not ever get any use, as the tie/binder clip at the neck serves my purposes wonderfully.

I love my new robe.

Fun times today, my friends

TYPING IS FUN: I'm typing here after about two minutes with the arm massager going on my forearm muscle. I don't know if it's foolish hopefulness, or that I just really want it to feel better, but I think maybe it may have helped just the littlest bit. Maybe? I'll be better able to tell tomorrow morning at work, and tomorrow afternoon, I will try a full five minutes with the massage gun. I guess five minutes would be okay? I'll google it, I suppose, to see. But it sounds like a good timeframe to my brain.

RAISES ARE FUN: I did something today that I've never done in my life: I asked for a raise. I've never done it because all my jobs have given me one every year after the annual review. Reminder that I hate, hate, hate annual reviews, and the fact that I don't get one at this job is almost a good enough reason to not expect a raise, but still. Anyway, my boss thought that I definitely deserve a raise, and she was surprised that I hadn't gotten one in five years, so she said she'd talk to the company owner about it. So in addition to increasing my working hours a day to six, now it looks like I may get a raise, too. This makes me happy.

NOT CHRISTMAS IS FUN: I have finally started taking down my Christmas decorations. I normalized my living room and my kitchen today, and for a time, I just sat in the living room and considered spending the next year in there because the rest of the house is so overwhelming. Anyway, those two Christmas bins are filled and packed to the brim, and I've prepared the dining/powder/laundry room bin for tomorrow morning. Once that bin is done, it's time for upstairs and the always delightful "random" bin that just takes in all the stuff that won't fit in the specific room bins.

ORGANIZATION IS FUN: I'm thinking about going to Ikea this weekend. Like, a birthday trip to Ikea. Doesn't that sound fun? I've seen a bunch of stuff on its Facebook posts that looks intriguing. OH! But do you want to know where else I want to visit? The Container Store! My OCD is super kicking in the last couple days and some cool and fun containers are an ideal thing for me, I think. I haven't been to one of those stores in a few years, so I feel like it'll be a pretty awesome experience.

It's for sure that he's not watching one of these

ITEM!: I can't concentrate on anything right now, because it sounds like my husband is watching a musical of some kind. And of course, as soon as I mute my TV, the singing ends. And it's broken my idea-creating process so much that I honestly can't think of a single thing to write about.

ITEM!: But wait, I know you all are as invested in my deep-tissue massager as I am, and I am excited to tell you that it should be delivered tomorrow. I can't wait to try it out on my arm and see if it makes a difference with my dystonia. It's stupid how hopeful I am about this.

ITEM!: Also, tomorrow becomes the day that I will begin taking down the Christmas decorations. I bet you all had forgotten that my Christmas decorations are still up. But tomorrow the bins come in from the garage and get all filled up with the Santas, snowmen, elves and trees. I mean, I picked up a new Valentine's Day mug the other day. It's time to move on. 

And a new project/experience is born

I'm watching "Independence Day" right now. Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum just convinced the president that they can fly an alien craft back to the Mother Ship and implant a computer virus ... in ALIEN TECHNOLOGY that of course syncs with Goldblum's laptop. This movie is yet another example of a special classic that my kid hasn't seen but needs to see. It's for sure going on the agenda for July 4.

Wait. I'm thinking that maybe what I need to do is start a "theme" movie list for this new, right-now-developing Themed/Holiday Movie List Extravaganza idea. Next weekend is my birthday. Name one awesome birthday movie that everyone should see, and yes indeed, that would be "Sixteen Candles." After that, I'm currently at a loss, but at least I have a starting point.

My limit will be two movies per theme. This idea, as it turns and stirs and becomes something in my head right now, could end up being pretty amazing. Other Themes/Holidays: Groundhog Day of course, Valentines Day, another birthday for Brian, St. Patrick's Day, spring, Easter, and I really need to break out a calendar and pad of paper to roll through more of this.

I cheer against, not for, this year

Well I did better today, though not as well as I'd liked to have, but oh well, some days are like that.

It's a weird NFL post-season for me this year. Obviously, this is because the Patriots aren't in the hunt at all. What this does afford me though is a worry-free watching experience, where all I do is cheer against/for the teams/players I do/don't like, and not really care who wins. Examples from this weekend: I'm pleased that Philip Rivers lost, that Ben Roethlisberger lost, and that Tom Brady won (because of course). Games that did not go how I had hoped: the Saints won, the Titans lost, the Bills won.

Next weekend, my cheers and allegiances go to: the Packers losing, the Buccaneers winning, the Ravens losing. I have no cares for the Browns/Chiefs game, as there really is no chance that the Browns will win that one. I'm very confident that the Chiefs will repeat as Super Bowl champions this season, though I'd also really like to see Tom and the Bucs win.

Anyway, as I was saying, it's a very relaxing post-season for this particular football fan.

Less food, more earrings. Got it.

I ate too much food today and I feel like its all just sitting in my stomach like a big, heavy, fat brick. I'm super grossed out by it, and I'm secure in the knowledge that I will carry this feeling into the new year and back onto the wagon with me at Weight Watchers. I've had success with the points program, and still have some ways to go to reach my goal, so this is exactly the motivation I need. I *need* to not feel this gross again. I *need* to stop eating bad stuff. It's like, "Girl! Get your shit together! The holidays are OVER!"

Also in weird body news, my ears are unhappy with me again because I dared wear some earrings today. It seems as though I haven't been wearing them enough over the last several years, and now whenever I do, my ears get red, a little swollen maybe, and achy. And that lasts for a couple/few days, and then they feel fine until I put some earrings in again, which is something that I've been doing more often since this began so that they get more used to it again. Whew! So tonight, my ears are achy and sore. And the cycle begins anew.

This is them, but mine are red

Brian bought us a couple new frying pans the other day to try out, as our current frying pans are so far from being nonstick. It's pretty amazing how well the new ones work, and how nonsticky Sydney's eggs were this morning. My plan is to buy a few more to replace the pans that aren't cutting it anymore. Another stroke of luck is that nonstick frying pans are not that expensive.

So here was my question for Brian: Can I still put these new pans in the dishwasher? Don't they need hand washing to be sure they stay nonsticky? Apparently, no. The reason why our pans got nonsticky, according to him, is because I (but him, too) used metal spatulas and forks and whatnot on them, and those utensils slice and scratch through the kevlar, and that renders them no longer nonsticky. "Kevlar is very, very strong; the dishwasher doesn't do anything to it," he lectured, "it was that metal spatula you love."

Alright fine, no more metal spatulas and forks and whatnot on the new nonstick pans. ... And also I need one or two more sets of them.

Who steals a podium, really? You're so dumb

Wow. So then all that happened. I don't even know how to process the acts of cowardice, sedition, treason and terrorism that took place in our nation's capital yesterday. I'm horrified. My daughter wanted to know if those people could find our address and come after us because of how we voted. Hey thanks for that you shitty "American patriots."

I'm hoping that those responsible are held to account for the events of yesterday. Both the people who perpetrated the domestic terrorism, and those that incited, promoted and encouraged it. That includes the president, of course, but even the senators and representatives that have made it a habit of lying to these people to stir them up and try to muscle a government that is far less democratic and dangerously close to autocracy.

It's a pretty jarring thing what happened yesterday, and all I can hope is that steps will be taken to ensure that an insurrections like that will not happen again. I feel like that will be the result of sweeping voting rights, expanded voting places and registration, and easier voting protocols to encourage more civic engagement. I hope that the next few years will open up the voting process to everyone, and make it super easy for them to participate.

Until then, I'll happily sit back and watch those f*ckers go to jail for what they did.

Hoping to massage away my dystonia

So I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I am engaging once again in trying to find a fix for my handwriting dystonia. I suggested aloud that perhaps one of those handgun deep massagers may be helpful. Coincidentally, while Brian and I were watching television the other day, we saw an ad for HY-IMPACT Massager, which provides the deep muscle massage that I want to try. The info-ad had the price at a decent number, compared to what I saw on Amazon, so I ordered one. It shipped today.

I am, actually, quite excited to try the thing. I'm really hoping that it at least does help me out with a bit of the typing and writing.

Unfortunately, it's being sent by USPS, and USPS has been consistently unreliable last/this month, if you haven't heard. -- I have an order from Barnes & Noble that was last seen on December 13 in Queens, and while I was notified that it is "In Transit to Next Facility" on December 17, I've had no progress reports since then. -- So you understand my reluctance to get too excited about this package being sent via the post office.

The shipping confirmation said it was shipped today, but the tracking says that the USPS doesn't have it yet. I can't handle this kind of suspense. Here's hoping that it catches a quick train to Arizona.

It smells like a freshly opened pack of Smarties

Over the last several years I have become very much into scented hand lotion. My favorite brand is Hempz. I love my hand lotions to have delicious smells: my work bottle is Pomegranate, my upstairs bottle is Exotic Green Tea & Asian Pear, and the kitchen bottle is the Triple Moisturizer, which I think smells like Smarties.

This is a topic of blog because I was waiting for my tea to heat up at work and had just washed my hands, so I took some of the Nivea lotion in the kitchen there. So. Gross. It smelled like ... *lotion.* No cool smell, no vaguely incompatible wording as the flavor, and no smooth consistency. And let me tell you, when you put on a lotion you don't like the smell of, that smell LASTS. It took at least three hand washes throughout the morning, and my own lotion applied after that, to get the basic lotion smell off my hands. Nothing makes you appreciate a good smell more than having to tolerate a not-good smell.

I also really like the L'Occitane "lavande" flavor, too. Those are my two brands that I like the best for hand lotion. There. That's all.

But we already WANT one!

I just saw a television ad for the PlayStation 5 console and it made me angry. I'm angry because here they are, trying to drum up business for their new console. A console that even the most dedicated of PlayStation fans can't get their hands on, and they're trying to get MORE people interested in buying one. Not like you have very many gamers who are like, "Oh, okay, yeah sure, I think maybe I'll get one of those." But honestly, do you need to find so many more people to be psychotic about finding the console?

I check my Target app and my Best Buy app several times a day at random times throughout the day, and both apps have yet to even tease me with a console being available at all. I'm so used to seeing "Out of Stock" and "Sold Out" on each of those apps that I may just not even notice when either of those statuses changes.

My initial hope was to have the console in time for Christmas. Now I'm not even sure if I'll have it in time for Brian's birthday in February. But I keep checking. Me and all the other yahoos that Sony just convinced to buy a PlayStation 5 with their very annoying ad.

Ready to rock and roll, I think!

So it's time to say "Happy New Year," right? Here it is, the first day of a new year, and a year of renewed optimism for the future ahead of us right now. Indeed, there is a vaccination coming our way some time relatively soon, and the light at the end of our tunnel is just out of reach. But we're getting there.

As for me, I'm formulating my list of EXPECTATIONs, and will be ready to share those with you in the next couple/few days. Right now though, I'm enjoying a visit from my cousin who lives in Virginia. We had a delightful day today, have an activity tomorrow, as well as something planned for Sunday and Monday. Sydney also is having a good time with Jessica and her daughter, which makes me happy because Sydney doesn't really know my family at all. And today she met my cousin and she sees how fun family can be to hang out with. Or at least see how much fun *I* can have hanging out with *my* family.

Today we visited the Phoenix Zoo, and objectively, it was a fantastic day to visit the zoo. It was cooler in the morning when we got there, and the animals were awake, moving around and being more charming and photogenic than they have in a very long time, if ever. I told Shyloh that she was our good luck charm for seeing moving and engaging animals at the zoo. I mean, really, the coyotes and mountain lions and wolves were active! So cool!

As for my household plans for this weekend, I bought a sage bundle at a spiritual shop nearby to smudge my house for the new year, and Sydney and I are eager to get it done. I watched a couple videos on how to do it, and in them, I saw that most of the instructors had abalone shells to hold and tamp out the sage. Amazingly, I actually have an abalone shell in my house, so I should be able to conduct the ritual quite by the book. I'll let you know how that goes.

I also want to take my tree down and get it outside, and maybe do some more home organizing. It's time for Mom's room to become a way station for things to be donated or tossed, so my house soon will be cleansed both spiritually and materialistically.