Merry Christmas!

Pic of the Week

Against the advice of every civic and medical expert, I traveled for the holiday.  My plane row was empty!  I learned from the screen at my gate that there were 64 available seats on the plane, but only 40 of them were occupied.  So there ya go.

What's going on?

A very Merry Christmas to one and all.  I hope your holiday was filled with joy and cheer, even if it was a totally weird holiday. 

I traveled to Portland to spend Christmas and New Year's with my aunt and uncle and it's been a delight so far.  Lots of time spent reading and doing puzzles and playing games.  

The week leading up to Christmas was spent preparing to leave and soaking up as much holiday cheer as possible. I went for a walk around the neighborhood by my apartment and was disappointed to see that there was VERY little Christmas spirit.  Only about 1 in every 10 houses had any lights at all, and half of the houses that did have lights only had a string or two up.  

What I'm watching

The Great Conjunction!  Did everyone get a chance to see it?  I went down to the beach after work to get a good view only to get home and realize I could see it from my driveway.  Them's the breaks, I guess.  It was still cool to see.  Can't miss an opportunity to check out a once-in-a-century event.

What I'm reading

I finished the Mistborn Trilogy!  Honestly?  Despite it's somewhat dated nature, I'd still recommend it.  Ol' Mr. Sanderson wrapped it up really well.  

On to the next!  Less.  Not something I'd recommend to everyone, but it's a funny, delightful read about an author avoiding a wedding by accepting a bunch of invitations for conferences and teaching positions and such around the world.  And a Pulitzer Prize winner to boot!

5 more sleeps til Christmas

Pic of the Week

How cute is this festive cactus I got at Trader Joe's?!

What's going on?

Christmastime!  It's only a week away, y'all!

My roommates left town last weekend, so I've had the apartment to myself all week.  It's been dreamy.  :)  I love my roommates, but I harbor a secret wish that someday I'll be able to live alone again.  Until then, I'll enjoy my delightfully empty apartment. 

Not a lot going on around here otherwise.  Pandemic, and all, is keeping things pretty low-key.

I went for a nice, long hike today.  I haven't been out hiking in a while and it was nice to be outside in the fresh air.  The parking was exceptionally busy, but I took a less-traveled trail and there weren't too many people, which was nice.

What I'm watching

I think I recommended this one last year, but honestly, it's so cute.  I pulled it up while working on some Christmas projects and enjoyed it just as much as last time.  Check it out if you haven't seen it yet.

What I'm reading

You guessed it! Book 3!  Despite the fact that this cover makes it look like a romance novel, and the fact that there is pull-quote from the Romantic Times on this cover, this is not, in fact, a romance novel.  It is squarely in the fantasy genre.  Though, to be fair, the two main characters are romantically involved.  Married, even. The system of magic that this particular story uses is called "allomancy" and is basically based on different metals giving people special powers like strength, or emotional manipulation.  For a project, I had my genius kid come up with merit badge requirements for allomancy since he's working toward getting his eagle scout. He did a pretty good job.  I was impressed!

What I'm listening to

Christmas Cocktail Jazz on Spotify.  This is a great playlist to have playing in the background.  Festive, but not intrusive. 

I don't want a lot for Christmas...

Pic of the Week

Happened to glance down and catch my scooter at 66,666.6 miles, but wasn't able to pull over for another .2 miles to take a pic. Last time I took him into the mechanic, he said he didn't think Phin would last until the next oil change - which will be at 67,000 miles.  I'm now sitting at just over 66,700 miles.  Just for some reference, when I bought my scooter, the salespeople said scooters normally get about 40,000 before they're done.  But I take really good care of Phin. Once he gets going, he still runs pretty well, but he's having trouble starting lately.  January will mark 10 years that I've been toodling around town on ol' Phineas.  I'm kind of hoping he makes it til then.  *fingers crossed*

What's going on?

Pretty low-key week around these parts. Just enjoying time cozying up to Christmas lights and Christmas movies and Christmas treats.  I decided after our project of painting all of the kitchen cabinets that I wanted to give my bathroom a little face lift, so I spent this weekend painting the cabinets in there as well.  I'm very happy happy with the results.  :)

I also got this shower curtain:

So, that was fun. 

Andrew helped a friend move down to LA this weekend, so I got to have lunch with him and his friends yesterday.  We got some killer deep-dish pizza and ate it in a park.  It was lovely. 

There are a couple of airfares that I keep tabs on just to see if anything especially cheap pops up.  Buenos Aires is one of those because I haven't been back since I got home from my mission.  Round-trip airfare down there generally sits between $800-1000.  Right now it's at $440.  I am SO tempted to buy a ticket for sometime in the fall.  I think chances are good that the pandemic will be controlled enough to allow for the travel, but WHO KNOWS?!?!?!  If nothing else, I'll have airfare to Buenos Aires that I can use at some point as airlines are being super lenient about changing dates and if things aren't under control enough to travel there in September, I'd imagine the airline would be forgiving about that.  Thanks for talking through that with me.

What I'm watching

Stop whatever you're doing and watch this immediately.  It was so delightful and heartwarming and hopeful and joyful and GOOD.  If this film doesn't win every costuming award available, it will be a travesty.  A TRAVESTY, I TELL YOU. The costumes, the music, the dancing, this delightful girl child saving Christmas.  It's everything you want and need in a holiday film.  Watch it.

What I'm reading

Book two!  Genius boy is already on book 3.  In fact, he's probably done with book 3.  I gotta catch up.  But there are cabinets to be painted!!!

What I'm listening to

via GIPHY

Cookies galore!

Pic of the Week

Friday was national cookie day.  This was just the first purchase of the day.

Quotes of the week

"This is Greg.  He's very handsome and very nice."

-The kid I nanny introducing me to his friend at the park.

"I accidentally read the whole thing."

-A kid I tutor referring to the 500-page book I'd told him to start reading 3 days earlier.

What's going on?

December is upon us!  Bring on the Christmas Season!  I just bought some egg nog and I am in heaven.  

Got a negative COVID test result this week, which was great.  Gonna get another test tomorrow just to be sure Thanksgiving didn't give me more than a couple of extra pounds. 

We spent a good portion of the week repainting our cabinets.  My roommates started the project over the Thanksgiving break, and we finally got it done.  Took a full week, but it looks great.  We now have a beautiful, clean, sleek, white kitchen. 

What I'm watching

This was really cute and has a rockin' soundtrack. Heads up that the main couple is a gay couple, so if that makes you uncomfortable, I guess steer clear of this one?  Or maybe get some therapy?

What I'm reading

This is the 500-page book I had my student read.  It's good!  It's a fantasy series with magic and whatnot.  I'm enjoying it so far.  I, unlike the genius boy, have not finished it.  I should soon, though, because I told him to start reading the second book in the series...

What I'm listening to

The latest episode of The Mormon Mental Podcast - number 214 - is called "Nuance in considering Late Term Abortion".  The guest is a nurse and midwife who brings some much-needed context to questions around abortion and I found it uplifting and informative.