An ITEM! list for this 6th day of January

ITEM!: We finished the Tobey Maguire Spider-Mans yesterday, and today, we watched the first of the Andrew Garfield movies, "The Amazing Spider-Man." It was, to be honest, much better than I remembered. Or at least, still much better than the Maguire movies. Granted, in my eyes, there's really no room but up from there, but this movie was entertaining and well done. The graphics were better, as expected, and the visual quality of the picture was deeper and more detailed. I'm dreading tomorrow's movie, because I know how it ends, but today was a pleasant remembrance.

    ITEM!: We're also comfortably in the midst of watching "The Witcher," and have finished five episodes.

    ITEM!: I managed to get Sydney an appointment for her booster in a few days, and once that's taken care of, I'll feel better again. I hate that we all have an extra level of protection that she doesn't have yet. But that'll change soon, and in well enough time before we venture into another amusement park in Southern California. Yes, plans are afoot for spring break.

    ITEM!: I agreed to Panda Express for lunch tomorrow, and I find that I'm actually kinda looking forward to it. I'm thinking orange chicken, for sure, maybe fried rice, and perhaps some cream cheese rangoon. If not the rangoon, maybe spring rolls, if they have them. It's an opportunity ripe with options.

Our home is a testing site now

So Brian took his first at-home COVID test tonight, as he's had some members of his office staff test positive, and he's negative. I hate this damn virus, for sure. I'm confident and feeling good about our vaccinated status ... up until the damn virus gets too close. And possibly being in my house is way too close.

    It stressed me out, and I was very relieved to have his test come back negative. I knew if he was negative, I would be too, since he's the only close contact we've had lately. So we're able to hold on to the second test in the pack for future use. As well as the two I ordered from Amazon that may or may not arrive before the 18th of this month. There is a run own at-home COVID tests and that is no joke.

    Anyway, as of now, count us safe in the pandemic.

The Maguire viewings have begun

It's the third day of the year, and I'm writing out my second blog post of the year, and that is a good sign. Also a good sign: I got everything done this weekend that I wanted to get done. Tree is down and out of the house, and Sydney got a haircut. Done and done.

    Let's talk entertainment. We watched the second episode of "The Witcher" second season tonight, and I'm digging it a lot. What hasn't happened yet is a viewing of "The Book of Boba Fett," but we'll get to that. And my list of other series that need to be watched is growing, exponentially, and I'm not sure I'll be able to cross 'em all off my list. 

    Also today, Sydney and I watched "Spider-Man," starring Tobey Maguire. I did not enjoy the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, nor did I enjoy the Andrew Garfield versions, but Sydney and I are going to see "No Way Home" again this weekend, and we decided she needed the right background before seeing it the second time. I mean, she knows the stuff she knows, but she hadn't actually seen the films, so there is ... nuance? ... that she doesn't appreciate in "No Way Home." Having said that, I still am not enjoying the Maguire films. Nor will I find some unappreciated love of the Garfield movies, I don't think. But the plan is to watch each movie one night this week so she can be ready on Saturday.

EXPECTATIONs for 2022! Happy New Year!

Well, Happy 2022, people!

It's been a while, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm here now, and hoping to be a better blogger this year. And in that air of hopefulness, I bring you my EXPECTATIONs for 2022.

EXPECTATION 1: Save money, and pay off my American Express card. I managed to pay off Brian's AmEx last year, and have a good plan for my card this year. No student loans through April will help a bit, as well as my raise from last year. Also, I'll try to budget better. I need to remember that a hundred dollars here and there will be helpful, and then put that towards the card.

EXPECTATION 2: Read one book, watch one movie and binge one show per month. I had this EXPECTATION last year, and while I did well with the movie and binge portions, I really faltered with reading, which is totally not like me, I know, but this year, I will do better. I already have my January book, and will perhaps get started on it tomorrow.

EXPECTATION 3: Write two Mystic and Boysen books. Whether I publish them or not is unsure at this point, but I have two story ideas, and would very much like to get them written out before the year closes out. I took a break last year and really didn't think much about the books, because no one buying them makes me sad, but I really just want to get a couple more ideas out into the ether.

EXPECTATION 4: Create a greeting card company. This is a new side hustle I'm thinking about, and I'm kind of intrigued to see if I can make something out of it. That commercial from Google about how people can learn to do and create awesome stuff after Googling instructions on how to do it has been unexpectedly motivating.

EXPECTATION 5: Purge/organize/replace house stuff. This is an EXPECTATION from last year too, but there are a few purging places that I still haven't gotten to, such as Brian's closet, the bathroom cabinet, and the file cabinet and office cart in the loft. Other areas: I'd like to go through my bag bin perhaps; replace the pink quilt on my bed; replace some sweaters; sell my wedding china; get a new printer; and "to be determined."

EXPECTATION 6: Also again, jump back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon. I managed to unknowingly lose a couple pounds in early December, but when I weighed in this morning, those pounds had returned. I want to get back into those other jeans, so that means getting back into a relationship with WW.

EXPECTATION 7: Blog more, eat better, cook occasionally, and be a better person. Easy peasy.

EXPECTATION 8: Embark on one adventure per month, be it a trip to the zoo or botanical garden, or spend an evening/weekend somewhere. I'm bummed we spend so much time at home, and would like to shake that up a bit.

I think that's it? I mean, that's enough, isn't it?

And I'm super irritable about it

I have a confession to make. Something has come to light in my head rather forcefully over the last couple months, and it's that I am letting things go by, and not get done, and not get attempted, because my fingers and hand don't type well. A super random example: When my coworker Ashley was teaching me how to do a task at work, I realized that I was envious of her typing and how her fingers and hand moved so well. And in knowing that my fingers and hand don't work properly, I realized that I was afraid to do the job.
So, in a new attempt at making this thing better, I just ordered finger/hand compression gloves that perhaps will help me feel better. At any rate, it's disconcerting that I'm still so unhappy about this. I don't complain about it much, and I expect 95 percent of the people in my circle forget I deal with it, but it's a constant struggle and irritation and disappointment for me. Every minute of every day. Here's hoping that some random compression gloves may be helpful. We'll see on Wednesday.

I'd rather be walking in a field of flowers

I find that I'm very pleased that tomorrow is Friday. I am very ready for the weekend. We don't have a lot planned, just a movie on Saturday morning and then football on Sunday, but just the act of hanging out, sleeping in, and perhaps reading some and taking a nap is a decadent one for me right now. All things concerned, it hasn't been a great week, but it could have been worse. And now I'm eager for it to be over.

    We did finish the first season of "Titans" tonight, and began the second season, as well as watch a little bit of the football. Since Brian was home when I got home, we watched a couple of our shows, and then moved on to the football and such. Entertainment is a good thing, friends!

And I've just started watching them alone

I've been watching a movie here and there this week. There are a few on the streaming services that Brian isn't interested in that I want to see, so I've decided to just start watching them. Yesterday, I watched "No Sudden Move." Today, I watched the documentary, "Val," about Val Kilmer. Both were good, neither were great, but I feel better having put my eyes on them, having added myself to the numbers who have watched the films, thereby promoting Brendan Fraser and Val. There are a couple more I want to see, but I can't think of them right now. I should have a running tally, but I never think of that when I'm thinking of the movies.

"Titans" is a good show; we're liking it

Tonight's agenda includes watching a few more episodes of the show, "DC's Titans." It's a grown-up version of the 'Teen Titans" cartoon, and is a live-action, adult situations show. The third season has just started streaming on HBO Max, and the advertisements intrigued Brian and I enough so that we started watching it from the beginning last week. We're several episodes into the first season, and very much enjoying it. It's unfortunate that a new show comes along just as football season begins, because now there's no time for television on Monday, Thursday or Sunday. But we'll soldier through, as we do. I've got the show queued up for once Brian gets home.

    I've got the movie "The Mummy Returns" on my television right now, and Brendan Fraser is making me quite happy. He's awesome. I'm very pleased with the Fraser renaissance happening in film lately, and am very into supporting it. There is so far one movie, "No Sudden Move," that he stars in that I have access to. Sadly, I haven't watched it yet. JJ didn't really like it very much, and I kinda want to watch it with Brian, but I don't have the energy to argue for it, I suppose. I guess I'm waiting for it to land on one of my movie channels. Okay, so I decided to go hunting for it, and have found it on HBO Max. I just started it. I guess I'll have an opinion in bit.

I'd like nachos again this week, please

I did have nachos the other day, and they were delicious. I was down a full pound last Friday, so that felt super good, and I totally celebrated with a plate full of chips covered in black beans and a ton of cheese. That may just become my cheat meal of choice, as everything else I eat can be enjoyed in moderation and still be within my points. I feel like the nachos are totally not that.

    Our Pumpkin/Pumpkin Spice Challenge is going well. We've tried a few more things: a pumpkin spice latte, a pumpkin tart and a pumpkin/brownie poke. I have no idea what a poke is, but it seems to be a kind of muffin? It's heavier than a cupcake, but that may have been the brownie in it. Anyway, Sprinkles has its pumpkin cupcake right now; we have a pumpkin whoopee pie on the counter downstairs; and I'm waiting for the pumpkin coffee I saw at AJ's to return. Also, Nothing Bundt Cakes has its pumpkin cake available for now. What I'm saying is that this Challenge is a commitment.

    For the first time in many weeks, Sydney and I don't have a single appointment in the afternoon at all this week. I hadn't thought too much about that until I realized it early this morning, and I gotta tell you, it's pretty awesome. It's like a carefree week that will only cost me my lunch money.

Yes, definitely nachos and maybe Ikea

So because Sydney had an appointment this afternoon, I have already missed out on a day of writing from the sofa in the afternoon. Also, because of football.

    Alas, tomorrow is Friday. On that day, I will weigh in for my Weight Watchers. I honestly don't expect to be down at all, and if I am I'll be very pleasantly surprised, but I do know that I did pretty well this week, but I definitely know where my failings were, and next week I'll do better. Having said that, I'm also definitely having nachos I think for lunch tomorrow, and yummy breakfast on Sunday. So there's that.

    Sydney and I have a Super Secret Girl Day on Saturday, and I'm compiling our options for the day. We'll see how the kiddo feels, and move forward from there. There are no movies at the theater for us this weekend, which sucks, but there is a lot of streaming television for us all to sit for.

Pumpkin/pumpkin spice is the name of the game

As far as Septembers go, this one is going okay. I figure that as long as the days are still in the single digits, I can still celebrate the month as a new one. I had wanted to get through one full month of postings, just a single month where I manage to post every night, and that has not happened, nor do I think it'll happen before the end of the year. I'm too late for September, I have out-of-town weekends in October and November, and December is December, meaning so much other stuff going on.

    So having given up on the posting-every-day goal for the month, I have grasped a new and more interesting and calorie-stuffed experience for September. Sydney and I have decided to taste every pumpkin and/or pumpkin spice item we come across this season. Duly noted, that is a whole lot of items. I've had three things so far: pumpkin scone, pumpkin tart, brownie/pumpkin poke. And irritatingly, of all of those things, Sydney hasn't tried any of them. She was all in when we discussed this initially, but since then, she's bailed on the tasting. So I've been tasting and tossing out the second half. I don't want to eat it all, per Weight Watchers, but to be committed to the experience, I do have to at least take a couple bites. All the better to have an intelligent opinion. I already have another item, and have yet to get my pumpkin spice latte, so there is a lot of ground yet to cover.

    What else? Oh yeah, I'm posting right now from my sofa in the living room in the early evening. I've decided that I need to start posting in the afternoons. Waiting until nighttime when I'm upstairs isn't working out too well lately. So for now, I'll be taking my posting to an earlier time slot.

A girls' weekend, but with far less vodka

So I got all caught up at work today, and just in time to miss work on Friday. Still, it's totally worth it because I get to go to California for the weekend and hang out with my mom and Roberta. We've got a couple fun lunch ideas for Friday and Saturday, but as for other plans, we're kinda flying by the seat of our pants. Nothing definite, but everything possible. Our weekend will be super fun, and I'm looking forward to it.

    I packed both the magazines and the book for my flight tomorrow. So, progress.

So much to read, two too short flights

I have a lot of reading material for this weekend. I have a short flight Thursday and on Sunday, but I have enough to read for a round-trip flight to Hawaii. My new "Vanity Fair" arrived today, as well as a "Real Simple," and I still have the book I started two weeks ago. As for the book, I've barely made a dent in it, but I will count that as my primary reading text for the flying. I'll be alone and early for flights, so I'll have plenty of time to read. It's a relatively heavy book too, so that'll be my price to pay for not having finished it by now.

Tomorrow will be better, and fewer snacks

It's pretty interesting to me how lonely I get when everyone falls asleep way before me. For whatever reason, Sydney decided that a 5 p.m. bedtime was on her agenda for today, and when Brian got home, he immediately went upstairs to shower, and then after we did watch some TV together, he fell asleep on the sofa.

    So I'm downstairs watching TV, and it's super quiet in my house. Also, I hadn't yet turned down the thermostat, so it was warm inside, too.

    Also, I had the munchies all afternoon and I've eaten more than I wanted to today, and I'm feeling like a bit of a heifer. So, bad vibes all around for my afternoon and evening.

An "Archer" pic because "AHS" is scary

I think I have a busy week this week, and then I'm leaving on Thursday night for a girls' weekend back home in California. So there's a lot going on, and I have some packing to do.

    I'm watching "Archer" reruns on FX right now, and the channel is upsetting me by constantly showing "American Horror Stories" commercials. There is a reason why I haven't watched that show, which is that I got scared a couple episodes into the first season and have been too afraid to watch it since. Anyway, the commercials are freaking me out. How many different "American Horror Stories" do they have going on at one time? Because I've seen like five commercials for five different iterations. That's a problem, if there are so many. My odds of accidentally landing on one increases when there are like seven of them.