Friday Randomness

Elisabeth is encouraging interested souls to write down one thing for which they are grateful every day in February, and is calling this group of interested souls the F.I.G. Collective (FIG = Finding joy In Gratitude) In her comments, Engie said she’s in, but instead of waiting until February, she’s starting NOW. I feel like we could all use a little joy and gratitude, so I’m diving in early too. I started this post on Monday, so I could keep track.

Monday – I’m thankful that Monday is Maya’s turn to cook, and that Ted made enough delicious food for dinner on Sunday that we had leftovers, which meant I didn’t have to leave the house to go to the store on my lunch hour, which is what I do 3 or 4 days a week. Maya felt like since she didn’t actually cook, she just put food out on the counter for us, she would do the dishes. Excellent.

Monday – Also thankful for our washer and dryer, which worked all day and did several loads of laundry. That meant that Monday night we all climbed into bed with fresh sheets and had clean towels. Also, since I didn’t have to go to the grocery store, I cleaned the bath tub on my lunch hour, which is my least favorite chore, but I’m glad it’s done.

Tuesday – Today I am thankful for the delicious guacamole we had with our fajitas tonight. Maya’s been wanting this specific recipe, so I made a batch and we had it with fajitas and chips. I’m also thankful that the 7am meeting I had was a quick one, and I was still able to go for my morning walk.

Wednesday – Today I am thankful that Tracy, the sweet cat pictured above, was adopted. I’ve been volunteering to help out with a local pet rescue that places cats and kittens in local PetCo stores, going in once a week and cleaning up the pen, making sure she has food and water and a clean cat box, etc. This week one of the volunteers was sick so I filled in for her today (my usual day is Friday), and I’m glad because I got to see her one more time and I can decide to believe that it was the fact that her pen was so pristine that got her adopted. Probably the fact that she’s just darling was a factor too.

Thursday – Today I am thankful for Rest Days. Back in November I started loosely following Caroline Girvan’s Iron Series schedule, which means doing strength training 5 days a week, and resting the other 2 days. Rest days are Thursday and Saturday. Wednesday I did NOT want to do my leg workout, I just wanted to sit there and do my word puzzles and drink my tea. But the knowledge that I had a rest day on Thursday gave me the motivation that I needed, and I got it done. It’s such a slippery slope, and so easy for me to lose motivation, and a rest day can turn into a rest month. Scheduling them solves this for me. I find strength training so boring, but after 9 weeks, I am finally starting to feel some results. If I were younger, I suspect I would have felt results sooner, but I’m not. My arms especially are starting to feel stronger. Note that I never have the urge to skip yoga, I look forward to that every day (13 month streak, I haven’t missed a day).

Thursday – I am also thankful for those of you who suggested Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. OMG, how I adore this character, she’s awesome. Review coming soon, once I finish, but I’m loving it.

Friday – Today I am thankful for my company’s Fabulous Fridays perk, and that I am going to both get a massage and get my hair done. Normally I would not do both on the same day, but the spa where I get my massage sent me an email for my birthday, giving me 15% off of a massage, with Jan 31st as the deadline. With 15% off, you’d better believe I went for the 80 minute option. Also, my hair salon gave me a coupon for $30 off of my (expensive – color/highlights/cut) service for Christmas, which also expires today. It’s been 8 weeks since I last had my hair done, and normally I would wait a few more weeks to try to stretch it out, but I can’t leave money on the table like that, even if it’s only $30. So today is the day! Ted gave me a gift card for the massage for my birthday, so that’s extra bonus delight. A Fabulous Friday indeed.

Speaking of money and massage, did you know that you can use your FSA/HSA funds to pay for massage therapy? You do not need a doctors note, just a receipt. I always stay ahead on the FSA spending, meaning I make sure to have always used up as much as I have contributed, or more, throughout the year. This is because it is a ‘use it or lose it’ benefit, and if I have put in $600, but only claimed $300, and I get laid off, the company can keep the other $300 (companies vary on whether they will do this, I think, but they have the right to keep it). This works in reverse too, meaning if I have spent $600, but have only contributed $200, the company eats the other $400 if they let me go. (None of this is true for Health Savings Accounts, they are portable and go with you when you leave a job, but you have to have a High Deductible Health Plan in order to contribute to an HSA.) One year, Maya needed braces, which she had put on in January. I put in my claim in late January or so, and then in February (2009, thanks recession!) I was laid off. Well, that $1,500 was most of what I had intended to contribute that year, so I came out ahead. Took a bit of the sting out of being laid off, but just a bit.

Other randomness. I spotted this parked car the other day on my morning walk. What do you think, why would someone be bringing home a Christmas Tree at the end of January? Maybe someone just got out of the hospital and they are celebrating late? Where did they get a tree this late?

Did you watch Squid Game on Netflix? If so, why? LOL, yeah, we watched season one while on vacation on Maui in 2021, and we just finished season two on Wednesday night. Bah, what a frustrating finale. The good thing is that I’m not completely finished with my rewatch of GBBO, so that has been a palate cleanser. We just finished the 2023 season though, and it feels kind of early to rewatch the 2024 season since we just watched it, so not sure what will come next in that department.

Speaking of Netflix, Maya informed me that there will be a new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie, which is exciting to me. I adored the books, they are a comfort re-read for me, I’ve read the books about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, all of it. I hope they are more true to the books than the Television series from the 70s and 80s, which really didn’t have much in common with her stories, other than characters. Will the books translate into another series? Time will tell.

Another thing I’m thankful for is that the weather is supposed to change starting later today. It has been an extremely dry January (maybe a 10th of an inch of drizzle near the beginning of the month), so I’m thankful for rain in our forecast, even if it goes north of us, as long as it hits the mountains and gives us snowpack, that’s a good thing. I resent having to water my plants in the winter. Also nice with rain is that it will warm up a bit. It’s been cold enough (low to mid 30s at night) that I have to cover my avocado and mandarin trees with a sheet at night to protect them. I hope this shift in the jet stream means that most of you who have been suffering with the bitter cold this month will get a warm up.