Friday Randomness

Here we are, it’s Friday again, and it’s the last week of February! Like many of you, I’ve been practicing gratitude this month for Elisabeth’s Fig Collective, which is a nice way to structure my Friday Randomness post as well. Here goes:

Friday – Baked Potato and Brave Browser
Saturday – Bougie Protest and Lunch
Sunday – Mimosa, scrambled eggs, hair dryer
Monday – CBBC and a nice dinner
Tuesday – Rain, grilled cheese, podcast
Wednesday – Leftovers, flowering trees (again)
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – The Age of Innocence
Saturday – Yoga for Gratitude, birthday party, crab and garlic noodles

Friday

I don’t have a picture of the delicious dinner I made Friday night, so you get a headline from The Onion instead. Generally on Fridays we go out to dinner, but neither of us were really feeling like figuring out where to go or any of that, so I bought Maya her favorite burrito, and Ted and I had steak and baked potatoes. I hit the ball out of the park with my baked potatoes, which to me are the most important part of the meal, so I was very happy about that.

Also on Friday, Birchie told me that she uses the Brave browser, which means no ads when she’s reading blogs. I was having SO MUCH trouble commenting on some of my favorite blogs, and this solved the problem and made me SO HAPPY. Thank you Birchie!

Saturday

Saturday Ted and I went to our weekly anti-Trump protest, after which we went and had a lovely lunch. When I protest and then go get a glass of white wine and a salad, I call that a ‘bougie protest’, because what could be more bougie?

Saturday evening, we watched this video on YouTube, of a couple from England visiting San Francisco for the first time. Folks who have been to SF on a trip might get a kick out of it.

Sunday

Sunday after my weights and yoga, I had scrambled eggs and a mimosa for breakfast. Maya had bought a bottle of sparkling wine on Saturday, and we tested out the new champagne stopper that she got in her Christmas stocking. It worked really well! The wine was perfectly bubbly the next day! Thanks, Santa!

Later, when I tried to dry my hair, my hair dryer caught on fire! I mean, smoke coming out of it, really nasty smell, but no flames. Obviously I unplugged it, and had a new answer to Elisabeth’s question of ‘what would you replace immediately if it broke/died/caught on fire’. Off to Ulta, where I used a 20% off coupon to get a new one. Isn’t it pretty? I do not like the hairbrush that came with it, my hair is too straight for a diffuser to help, and I don’t use the other attachment. But I like the color and it works very well, and so far has not tried to burn our house down. When things like this happen, though, I am grateful that I can afford to just run out to the store and buy a $50 (after discounts) hair dryer. Some of you grew up without money and know that an expense like that is not always possible to just fold in. So you either put it on a credit card, or you live without until you can save up enough to replace your hair dryer or whatever. I do not take this for granted.

My friend Nickie posted this adorable video on Facebook, and I too want to cuddle a little foal in my lap and have it fall asleep from just being tuckered out. Seriously, this was the best thing I saw all day.

Monday

Monday I was grateful to Engie, for all of the work she puts in to our online book club, even when she doesn’t like the book. I’ve never belonged to an IRL book club, so I don’t know whether the amount of research she puts in is common. Maybe some people have a lot of questions and quotes and so on, no idea. I loved The Age of Innocence, and I really enjoyed not only Engie’s posts, but also the comments – from Nance, who has taught this book and has a great knowledge of it and of the symbolism as only an English teacher can, to those who said quick things like, “Eh, not for me.” Thank you Engie! I’m looking forward to the wrap up post on Monday.

Again, grateful that Maya cooks on Mondays. It’s been a very busy week at work, and it was nice to not have to think about dinner. She made one of our favorite soups, Red Lentil Soup with Warm Spices.

Tuesday

Tuesday was supposed to be blustery with a lot of rain, but turned out to be occasional showers, as most of the storm went north of us. I’m fine with this, as long as we get moisture up in the mountains where they really need it, I don’t mind just having a cloudy day. In anticipation of the rain that didn’t come, we had roasted tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

Do you ever listen to This American Life? I used to listen regularly, but don’t listen often anymore. Tuesday morning I found myself with no book to listen to, and it was time to do my stupid weight training, so I decided to listen to a podcast instead. This was a great episode, I Want What I Want. I laughed at the beekeepers son who wanted to be stung by a bee, since everyone else in the family had been, and he had not. I mean, it was poignant, they played the recording of him being stung. But overall it was sweet. Then a stand up comic tells the story of Edward Dando, a British man in the 19th century who would gorge on oysters, claim he thought they were free, get thrown in jail, do his time, and upon release, go gorge on oysters again. You really should listen if you need some not bullshit stuff to listen to.

Tuesday evening I was grateful that I did not have to watch the State of the Union. I think we watched Bridgerton. Thursday night, I was extremely grateful for Ted. Maya accidentally broke the shower head (it has varied modes for heavier or lighter water spray, and the cheap plastic bit that you use to adjust it broke off, and the water was barely dribbling – with shampoo in her eyes, she was pretty grumpy when she got out of the shower). I live in terror of changing a shower head. I don’t know why. Ted took it off, got it adjusted to where it would spray water again, and put it back. WHEW. I think if it had just been me, I would have called a plumber and spent a bunch of money.

Wednesday

Time for your weekly photo of the same darned tree. I love this tree. I was thankful to past Ted and Julie, who had frozen uncooked meatloaf and cooked mac and cheese, so dinner was super quick and easy.

Thursday

Thursday I was grateful for a calm afternoon at work, after a pretty busy week. Also, Thursday is one of my two Rest Days for strength training, plus the yoga I did was quick, easy, off the wrists.

Friday

I’m writing this on Thursday afternoon, but I’m hoping to get a DVD of the film version of The Age of Innocence from the library, and watch that. If I run out of time, I can pay to watch it on Apple TV or something, I just like free more than I like paying. Ted says we saw it back in 1993 when it came out, but I have zero recollection of that. Not uncommon, sadly. I have some errands to run, but I think if work doesn’t dump a bunch of stuff on me, and if I can be organized, I’ll have time to watch.

Saturday

Tomorrow’s yoga is so perfect for the last day of FIGs. Grounding into Gratitude. I’d love it if you would join me!

Speaking of yoga, here’s the calendar for March. Feel free to join me on Saturdays if you would like.

Here are the links to the Saturday practices.

March 7 – Mountain Flow – This is the hands free, easy practice that I did this week.
March 14 – I am Supported – This is an ab workout
March 21 – I am Present – This one is about 40 minutes, probably a standard practice
March 28 – I Deserve – Probably a standard practice

Saturday I expect to be grateful for family, as we will be celebrating my BIL’s birthday. Family from a couple of hours away will be here, and it is always great to see them. The menu will include roasted crab, garlic noodles, and chocolate cake.