Book-Geek

This morning's post is brought to you by Harry Connick Jr.'s 1990 album, Red Light Blue Light .   My latest project is ripping all my cd's so I can listen to them in the car or wherever I can plug my USB in. I thought I had done this already but when I cleaned out the crawlspace, I found a ton of music that I haven't listened to in YEARS!  I have four Harry cd's, ok seven if you count the Christmas and the children's cds.  I LOVE his music! The family went skiing this morning and I am resisting the urge to gloat that I am home and warm because it is my turn tomorrow.  Today is just me, the puppy, the cats, and my book, Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley .  I can't remember when I was all by myself in this house.  It feels weird.  As I sit here in virtual solitude, I have a chance to reflect on the last few weeks.  My elation at the results of the election followed by the horror I felt at the Capitol riots, and now I realize I was actually afraid that we mig

New Year's Eve is just another day.  It came and went like any other evening, (me going to bed early hoping the puppy would sleep through the night). I didn't make my reading goal but I came damn close!  I gained some weight this past year but I also gained some insight.  I have slowed down so much and I feel like I now focus on things that make me really and truly happy.  I have the Yale course on the Science of Well Being to thank for it.  I think I might take it again at some point.   I listen to the podcast right now and it is just enough of a boost to keep me going.  If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it! I'm not into New Year's resolutions mostly because I set goals for myself throughout the year that I don't end up attaining.  There is one thing I have been doing every New Year for the past five years and that is the Bowl Full of Lemons home organization challenge .  To know me is to know I love the minimalist life.  I have a practica

My advent calendar idea just didn't.  It worked the first night and then we were too busy, too tired, too apathetic.  Covid Christmas is going to be nothing special and that is totally ok with me.  I'm exhausted. Today is my last day of work for four days.  All I have to do to prepare for Christmas is wrap.  The house is a total mess but see above.  I'm not cleaning it.  I am going to go for long walks, read, and nourish myself with good food, good spirits and perhaps some long phone calls with friends and family, (unless they are too busy with the Christmas mayhem). Our new puppy, Toby, is a delight when he is not biting me.  He is 10 weeks old and is pretty close to sleeping through the night.  The biting is a total suck fest though.  He bit me so hard yesterday that I not only have a puncture wound but it is all black and blue.  I am too old for this.  My old lady skin is taking too long to heal and all the wounds on my hands make me look like a heroin addict. It is abou

There are few things I will complain about during this pandemic.  My family is healthy, my kids are doing fine with remote learning, (although they have missed out on so much, my senior the most) my husband and I both have jobs, and we have plenty of food on the table and oil in the tank.  The one thing that is really getting to me is that we are not able to get together with friends and family.  We are expecting a big storm this weekend and instead of having that feeling of, phew, maybe we can cancel plans and stay in, we just keep with the status quo.  No guests, no visiting.   Since we are staying in, together, all the time, I thought maybe I would switch up our advent calendar.  A friend posted online the other day that she was looking for some so I told her I have a wooden one so I can put whatever I want in it.  Then I had an idea.  A terrible, wicked, awful idea.  I would put little slips of paper in each box with different activities written on them, in addition to chocolate. 

 I logged off and deleted all my social media leading up to the election because I know my limits.  I have none. I have no boundaries and I am extremely sensitive.  I have no business being on social media at all but here we are.  Now, it is "official."  Biden is going to be our next president and more importantly, Harris will be our VP.  Upward and onward! I wish I could bask in the online glory but alas, Covid-19 has reared its ugly head and my kids are remote learning again and we are told we are not welcome in more states without quarantining for 14 days.  I guess no other states want our Live Free or Die rampant Covid-19 spreaders.  I don't want my kids to go to into school and I don't want to leave NH but I am just enough of an entitled American that I get a little panicky when I can't do what I want. We have enough toilet paper and I hope we have enough food because it is getting real again and it feels a little like Groundhog day.  I am just hoping that I

I get up every morning at 6am.  I get the kids up, (teenagers sleep through alarms).  I make them a warm breakfast and help with lunches.  I try to remember to tell them how awesome they are through pre-coffee clenched teeth but often just grunt and point.  My son has SATs today so I had to dig deep and remind him to take his time and boost him up before sending him off to caffeinate on his way to school.   I also had to touch base with them because of what is happening in the news right now.  The U.S. has a  new Supreme Court Justice , the election is just days away, and (I can't believe I am shocked about this) another police shooting ,  I just gave them a heads up, asked them not to get into it with anyone at school, and hope we can talk about it more tonight.  I can barely keep my head above water right now.  When I got up and saw the video of the police shooting, I cried.  I just cannot imagine it is any easier for a teenager to process all of this.   Thankfully, today is a ra