Ending the month right

ITEM!: I'm currently watching the excellent movie, "Beverly Hills Cop." Of course, and yes, there are plenty of problematic scenarios and dialogue, but taken as a whole, it is still a funny-ass movie that stands up as a good film. I actually have it on the DVR so Sydney can sit and watch it with me at some point, because honestly, she should know Eddie Murphy as more than just the voice of Donkey.

ITEM!: The PlayStation 5 has arrived; I'm just waiting until Friday to give it to him. Like I said last night, we've had a couple rough days as a family, and we need some more time to pass before anything else of note happens in the house. I have a game to go with it, and I'm almost ready for the presentation. Just waiting for the right time.

ITEM!: Brian barbecued some steaks the other day and they are making for some truly delicious steak sandwiches for my dinners lately. The steak on some yummy artisan rolls with my favorite aioli and of course mayonnaise is a winning combination. All good stuff.

ITEM!: I think I may end up sitting and watching almost the entirety of "Beverly Hills Cop" tonight.

All the mysteries of the universe

Parenting is hard, you guys. Some days are not so hard, but some days will test your soul and all the resolve you think you may have in your body. Today was the latter for me, and while right now all is moving in a calmer, more focused direction, tomorrow could bring all manner of tsunamis my way. And I am not looking forward to that uncertainty at all. But having said that, I think maybe we're all on the same page for now.

Shot in the arm, and now vaccinated

I had intended on writing a blog post last night, but I got home way later than I thought I would, and I was tired, so I didn't. Why late, you may ask. What were you up to, Kimberly? Well, friends, I was out at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, getting my first vaccination shot. The shot itself, no problem. I had quite a bit of soreness in my arm all day today, but aside from that, no side effects.

    The process of getting the shot was quite the opposite of no problem. I want to preface this by saying that I believe that the process was well organized and designed efficiently. The only issue was that there were just too many people in one space. Their site is/was just too big. My appointment was at 6:57 p.m. I made us all leave at 5:55 p.m. for the 34 minute drive. There was no traffic, and we exited the freeway at 6:15. We stopped in traffic at 6:19 p.m. I didn't get out of traffic, or out of line at all, until 8:43 p.m., when we left the facility. I got my shot at 8:31 p.m. The line snaked around and around, and I registered and checked in, and confirmed my identity and moved along again, and then finally I was in the end line for the shot itself. The lady said to me, "See that tent up there? That's the end for you! You're getting there!" Brian has opted to not accompany me for the second shot, and I can't say that I blame him.

    And sure, it was a pain and ridiculous time suck, but I've got my shot and I'm so happy! My next appointment is at the stadium in three weeks. It's my understanding that I can reschedule for a different location, which I will attempt to do, because I'd rather not go back to the stadium, but of course I will if I need to. And I'll do it again for Sydney if need be. This family is getting vaxxed!

Yes, I said the "Peep Experience"

I've had a couple slow days at work this week, and while I've been able to fill those slower hours, I feel like it's been a little draining on me. This is a total whining sentiment, but it's just like I'm getting these computer headaches because I don't have anything to do but stare at the screen and find something to do. And that hurts my head. Indeed, I've have more to do next week, I expect, but yesterday and today were a drag on my soul.

    So it is with excitement that I end this Friday watching an old U2 concert on YouTube, and with anticipation of sleeping in tomorrow morning. I have a random list of errands to run tomorrow, that I can take or leave any company for, though I'm sure Brian will want to accompany me. There is some stuff that I'll have to go out on my own for though, including the Easter basket accoutrement. And other things.

    Also in regards to Easter, have you seen this Peep-flavored Pepsi? It is, officially, a "mashmallow-flavored soda," and while, yes, gross, I still kinda have to try it, you know? I guess I'll check Target tomorrow when we're running through for my errands, but maybe Walmart will be the best place to look? And I kind of have to have the yellow can, even though it looks to be available in blue and pink, as well. But yellow is a much better can for tasting. More authentic, I think. More authentic to the Peep Experience. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Getting my stab on this weekend

You guys! I secured an appointment for my first vaccination shot, for this weekend, and I am so very excited. I spent 48 minutes on the computer, switching back and forth between the two vaccination sites I wanted, and finally was able to confirm an appointment. It was not easy, nor was it lacking stress. I feel very much like my fingers are slowing down, and that I couldn't depend on them to work as efficiently as I need them to. Having said that, I'm the only person in the office that was lucky enough to get my appointment in this morning's hysteria.

    So my success this morning translated to confidence in myself this afternoon, and I volunteered to help with some ad production. I "built" 25 ad pages, and learned how to move around in a new computer program. And to be helpful felt super good. I think I did alright. So I learned something new today, too! 

    Also, the yellow checkerboard Vans arrived this afternoon, and they fit us both, and I can't believe that we have a pair of shoes that we'll be sharing. They're so cute and I'm so happy that we can both wear them! She's already stealing my hoodies, so it makes sense that sharing shoes would follow closely.

The respect is real

I'm watching the Aretha documentary-drama on NatGeo, "Genius: Aretha," and I'm really enjoying it. I'm halfway through the fourth episode, and I am learning so much. I really didn't know very much about Aretha Franklin's life and history, and I'm both enthralled and awed by her life. It's just fascinating. Cynthia Erivo is an amazing actor in this, and she's really personifying the role of Aretha. And oh my goodness, the young girl who plays Aretha as a child? She's fantastic, too! And the music! It's just a good show all the way around. I recommend it!

I'll wear them to my shot, perhaps

So Arizona has opened up the vaccination eligibility to every adult older than 16 years as of Wednesday. I am very excited about this, and am looking forward to getting my shot as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I will be competing with every other adult older than 16 to get my appointment and my shot in a quick time.  Ashley at work got her appointment already, but she lives in a less populated space than I do, and it's like the appointment websites all laughed at me when put in my Scottsdale zip code. No matter, I'll get it soon enough, and as soon as I can. I'm good at hunting for elusive items on the internet, so I'll put my newfound skills to work.

    And then something else. I got an email from Vans the other day, and it advertised some very adorable yellow checkerboard shoes. I thought, "yes, of course, I need those." But then I also thought, "Sydney would probably like them, too." I showed her the email, and I was right; she did like them. Here's where this becomes significant. This pair of yellow checkerboard Vans has become the first pair of shoes that I have bought for both of us, in a single size, as a pair for us to share. Sydney's little feet aren't so little anymore, and she's half a size smaller than me, and that's a small enough difference to justify one pair of shoes for the both of us. She suddenly finds herself hoping that her shoe size stops at mine, so this can be a fun activity for us two. Because she knows who never sweats buying the shoes.

I had a productive weekend

So I have finished reading a book, for the first time this year. I had an EXPECTATION to read one book per month, which should have been a no-brainer, but the pandemic has hit my reading brain hard, and I've been struggling with cracking a book. I just finished "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah Maas, which was awesome, and I haven't got anything for reading next. I have one book that I'm halfway through, and have been halfway through since July, and I don't have anything else on my To-Be-Read Pile. So I'm on the hunt, and perhaps will finish the other one this week. That will get me two books into the three months of 2021, so I'm still behind, but catching up.

    What else have I done this weekend? Sydney and I hit Ikea on Saturday, and then we all watched "Zack Snyder's Justice League" in the afternoon. Now that, my friends, is a lengthy movie. You know what he didn't spend any time on? Segues. ... Cut to black. New Part. Cut to black. New Part. Cut to black. ... Still, it was good, and worth the watch, and I may just have it be background music a couple more times. Perhaps. I don't know. Because really, it's a long-ass movie.

    Also I did get quite a lot of random household tasks accomplished. I found spots for all the new plants I brought home from California; laundry, of course; organized more donations for removal (knocked off another EXPECTATION there); unpacked my goodie bag from California; polished my nails; helped organize Sydney's room a little; and now I'm blogging.

Mission: Accomplished, my friends

I decided to read last night instead of blog, so I missed you on St. Patrick's Day. The day itself was a good one, and we ate Chinese food for the holiday because I know for a fact that Irish food is not that great, and I wasn't about to make a special occasion of it. That was the day.

    As for today, I can say here, on the blog because Brian never reads it, that today I finally managed to buy us our new PlayStation 5. And Walmart for the win! I did all the stuff the guys on Twitter told me to do, and with a massive amount of luck, I actually bought one. I was shaking like a leaf while inputting the financial information, and I missed it the first time. I hit the "Place Order," and was denied by the Walmart stock. But the second time the console landed in my shopping cart, all the shipping and financial information was still there, so I was able to hit the "Place Order" much quicker, and I held my breath and about screamed when I got a confirmation number. I continued to shake for several minutes after, for sure. And then I texted Sydney. And then I called Mom.

    I have not told Brian yet, and I'm not sure I won't just let the arrival of the console be the surprise that I wanted it to be for Christmas. Considering wrapping the box in Christmas paper? Indeed, I am! I have a couple weeks to figure out my plan for the surprise, and I'm sure I'll run through like 50 different scenarios. He won't be mad unless I hold it away from him after I acquire it, which is not at all my intention. He'll get it the day it arrives, to be sure, but the presentation is up for consideration.

Catch you all on the flip side

We sat outside for some Happy Hour this evening, and it was super fun, but I am having a very hard time warming up. I've been sitting here on my bed for maybe almost an hour, and I'm still shivering and trying to warm my arms and my legs. Also I think I have a little headache. So now I'm all water and blankets for the rest of the night, and I'm gonna do some reading. Another short post for me tonight.

Books and reading are good for me

I started reading a book today, you guys. And I have to keep reading it because it's due in a week, and it's also 750 pages long.

    We had a day today in the household, and it was a rough afternoon and evening, so I actually might sign off for the evening. I'm gonna read some more now.

I gotta make the move a thing

Well, I may have been gone from the blog for the last five days, but I was present in California with my family and friends. And it was an awesome several days. I had lunch with my dad, dinner with my divas, a visit to the nursery, lunch with my cousin, a visit to the Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival, lunch with my friends again, and I ate a lot of delicious food like everywhere. Also, we watched a couple movies after setting up Mom's new AppleTV: "The Princess and the Frog" and "Mulan." Mom had not seen either, and I had not seen "Mulan" before.

    It was a pretty fantastic week and weekend, and for me, it just throws into stark relief how much better my little life would be if I lived in California. That's all for tonight. It's time to do some reading and get some sleep.

I need to sleep, and I *will* sleep

I didn't sleep well at all last night, and my gut instinct is to say it's because I bragged on the blog here yesterday about kicking my Trazodone. I had a number of factors contribute to my poor sleep, though: iced tea and caffeine at about 11, my neighbor's plant light shining into my bedroom window, the other neighbors having a driveway conversation at 2:30 in the morning, nerves over missing the Target drop of PlayStation 5, and it was too warm in my house. All these things coincided in one terrible night for me. Also, the PS5 totally did not happen, which annoys me a whole lot.

    So tonight I will hopefully sleep way better. I'm yawning already, so that's a good sign.

    I need to have better sleep tonight because Sydney and I are adventuring to California tomorrow afternoon for a few days. We will hang out with friends, visit with family, do some fun things, and just enjoy being there instead of here. I'm excited to get out there.

    I finished reading my "Vanity Fair" tonight. Yay!

Only 10 more to go!

It's March 7, and I can say with confidence right now that I have kicked Trazodone. I haven't had one in weeks, and my sleep has returned ... somewhat ... to its pre-breakdown patterns.

    Still, what I've noticed is that once I wake a little in the morning, I can't go back to sleep. So when I wake up at, say, 6 on a Saturday morning, I can't fall back to sleep with any effectiveness. I mean, maybe I can doze for a moment or two, but no more sleep. Hopefully, that will come back to me at some point soon.

    At any rate, I have officially crossed the "Kick Trazodone" EXPECTATION from the list. Woo hoo!

Doughnuts are my jam

BoSa Donuts is a local Arizona company with a whole bunch of locations in Phoenix and surrounding cities. Brian and I visited one of their shops today, and purchased a selection of delightful confections. What did we try? Chocolate-filled, raspberry-filled, blueberry-filled, regular glazed, chocolate frosted, and chocolate-cake glazed, and oh my goodness, are they super good.

    Sydney and I ate the blueberry first, then the raspberry. I had a bite of the regular glazed, and ate the entirety of the chocolate frosted. Sydney ate the chocolate-cake glazed, as I knew she would. So I have the chocolate-filled and most of the regular glazed left for tomorrow. I think I might just eat a whole bunch of doughnuts this weekend, and I'm not sure if I feel bad about that or not. Certainly, it's not a healthy diet choice, but it is definitely a yummy choice.

Reminder that magazines are awesome

As I mentioned at some point earlier in my blogs here weeks ago, I had recently renewed my subscription to "Vanity Fair." The company sent me a lovely tote bag with the magazine logo along its side, which I quite like, a couple weeks ago, but I still hadn't seen the magazine itself. Today, my wait ended.

    This afternoon, I checked my mailbox, and in it was the March issue of "Vanity Fair." The cover story is on Billie Eilish, which is not at all my scene, but there are a few other articles I'm intrigued by. In fact, I have made my way through the first half of the magazine, reading several columns, features and articles already this evening. I'm tired though and I wanted to blog, so the rest of the issue will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm actually excited to have another magazine to read.

    Having said that, I haven't finished my "Entertainment Weekly" yet; but what I have noticed is that my "Martha Stewart Living" hasn't shown up lately. I need to check up on that particular subscription soon, because I like that one. So, the magazines I'm currently receiving: "Entertainment Weekly [Monthly]," "Real Simple," "Vanity Fair," and I should be getting the Martha Stewart one. I feel like I need to get another one or two publications in my reading rotation, so I guess I'm open to suggestions? Maybe something current events-ish? Though that could be depressing and sad. Hmmm... I'll have to think on that. Perhaps a visit to the magazine racks at Barnes & Noble could be helpful on my quest.

And that was a stream of Coke consciousness

I have such an imbedded aversion to drinking Coke on the regular that I have started to actually deep dive into my psyche about it. I typically get soda when I pick up fast food, and I think my favorite soda right now is Coke Zero. Brian brought it home for me to try several months ago, and I quite liked it. And that it is sugar free is a huge boon, because I really don't like drinking calories. I think it's a waste to pee away calories after just an hour or less, while a lunch, dessert or sweet snack can last longer in the body and on the mind. Yes, I know, I love my mochas, but they are far and few between, so they are a special treat.

    I can't explain why I have a yearning for a Coke after I eat any particular something, but I do. Brian has suggested many times that I buy myself a six-pack of Coke Zero bottles at home, but for some reason, I keep refusing. (For some reason? I know it's entirely because I can't justify buying soda for myself.)

    But today, I decided that I really should buy some Coke Zeros for home. I really, really wanted some Coke with my lunch, but I didn't have any in the house. It's weird because I never buy them; Brian always brings them home for me. Anyway, after all that word salad, I'll just say that yes, I have decided to buy myself some Coke Zero for home.

I made dinner and no one died from it

Well you guys, I did it. I made dinner tonight. We had grilled kielbasa and rice. I decided against the green beans, even though I did buy them. So, the result. The kielbasa was too salty for Sydney; she didn't like it. But she did get all filled up on rice and apple sauce. I enjoyed it all. Brian was amazed and impressed that I made the dinner, and then was a good boy and ate it. So dinner experiment one was a relative success, though I'll definitely change it up for Sydney. I expect most things that she will like will need to include ground beef or roast chicken of some kind.

    My sitting place at work is changing again. I've been sitting in the "sales pool" since the social distancing restrictions were put into place when we came back to the office. Soon I will be moved back into the "editorial pit" to make room for a new salesperson, but also because that's where I belong, and also because Ashley's lonely over there by herself. I really, really enjoy the privacy of my current space, but I also am eager to be back with the other kids during the day. My new space is a good one; I'll be happy to move to a more social area, too.

    I'm watching a movie I've never seen before, "Killer Elite," with Jason Statham and Clive Owen, and Robert DeNiro, if you can believe that. Clive Owen with a mustache, which also is remarkable. This particular movie was released in 2011, and it's got just the right amount of dark blue filter and close-quarters camera work to be interesting. Clive Owen just bit Jason Statham and they're in a terrible fight right now. Statham has top billing, but I still can't see them killing off Clive Owen this early in the film. Ah, whoops, they didn't. He will live to fight another day. According to "the Google," the movie is based on a true story, so that makes it more interesting. I shall watch this one through to the end.

Dinner, dinner, who's making the dinner

I'm having self-esteem issues lately when it comes to making food for my family. Now I've never been a cook; I've never been one to spend time in the kitchen if I wasn't baking something sweet. And the concept of "making dinner" was never one that I embraced. I always thought about it, but never really put any effort into it. And lately, I've felt like an insufficient mother, because I can't feed my kid very well, and life partner, because I can't contribute to the household chores in that way.

    There are some things that I can make, and once again, I bend my brain towards the task of listing those things and putting into practice the making of them. I say "once again" because I have had these esteem spirals before, and have played with the idea of cooking more food, and then didn't do it. I know I need to just start small and go one meal at a time, but even that idea is daunting.

    Having said that, I think tomorrow I will stop and buy some kielbasa sausage for grilling and some rice for a side dish, and perhaps some green beans. Easy, peasy. I used to make sloppy joes as well, and I may just do that another night, too. And that will be my effort for the rest of this week.

    There's a reason something like this is never a New Year EXPECTATION. Because it's something that I don't really enjoy doing, feel peer pressured into doing, and tend to expect my own failure at accomplishing. But I think I'll give it an extra try and see if I can't just develop a like for the practice.

I don't think I'd be a good ballerina

I thought I discovered something that I had done mistakenly, and I've been super pissed at myself for several days about it, to just now discover that I actually hadn't been making the error. So that's that. And really that was all I was going to write about tonight, so now I'm at a loss. And I'm going to leave it that deliberately vague. I chose the ballerina avatar simply because it exemplified something that I would never be able to do in real life competently, and that was how I felt when I thought I did the way wrong thing. But now it's moot.

    We finished watching "The Staircase" tonight. Thank goodness; I was so done watching it and just wanted to know how it was resolved. And now I know, and I have no opinion on it at all, except to say that I don't trust anyone who smokes a pipe who isn't named Sherlock Holmes.

    Also I'm awaiting a book at the library, and I'm second in line for it, and I'm super, super excited to get my hands on it. So when the library emailed me that my card would expire soon, I jumped on the renewal asap so I wouldn't run the risk of missing out on the book. And excitedly, the library has card designs that patrons can choose from, but sadly, that isn't an option when renewing online. So instead of a pretty card with the Gateway Trailhead on it, I get to keep my same old card with a picture of a library on it. That's no fun, but at least I still get to borrow books.