Friday Randomness
This has been a lovely, relaxing week. I’m up against my PTO cap, which means that if I don’t take some paid time off, I will stop accruing. My company drastically lowered our cap a few years ago (it was admittedly pretty high), and when they did that I didn’t accrue any time for about a year and a half. I don’t want that to happen again. So, I took the week off. We have July 2nd and 3rd as company holidays this year, so I get 5 days off but only have to take 3 vacation days. Or in this case, staycation days. What, one might ask, did I do with myself?
I took me to lunch! One day, I went to one of my very favorite restaurants and had my very favorite salad and a glass of wine for lunch. It was lovely! I thought I would read while I ate, but the lettuce leaves are not really cut, so I needed both hands. I ended up just eating and relaxing, and it was really nice.
I rode public transportation and got all judgy! I was on a bus in San Francisco one day, and could not help myself, I had to take a picture of this young man’s pants. I mean, he has a belt. Couldn’t he pull up his pants a tiny bit? How is this still a thing? When he got up to disembark, he pulled them up a smidge, but the waist was still really, really low, around his ass and not his waist. It reminds me of Cher in Clueless, “Look at them. Fall out of bed, put on some baggy pants… and like, we’re expected to swoon? I don’t think so.” As if.
I looked at art! I met up with my friend Elaine, with whom I worked at my hotel job when I was in college. She lives in San Francisco, and was interested in going to see the Monet in Venice exhibit with me. I love Impressionist and Post Impressionist art, so this was right up my alley. In his art, Monet said he was not so much trying to capture the water or the buildings or the trees and flowers, but the air and the light. You get a real sense of that.
He painted so many of his subjects over and over again, which is fine and wonderful, but seeing them together like this somehow didn’t work for me. I wanted to look at one of them, but not all of them. All in all, I’m glad I went, and I’m glad I have a membership so I didn’t have to pay for the special exhibit price to get in. I noticed that some of the paintings were on loan from the Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, which reminded me that Elisabeth went to an art museum while she was visiting Rachel, and probably would have had a special appreciation for these paintings, having so recently been to Venice…but alas, they were here. And I’m pretty sure she went to a different museum anyway, but I wasn’t thinking that while I was there.
I looked at flowers! The de Young museum is in Golden Gate Park, so while we were there, we went and checked the progress of the flowers in the dahlia garden. They’re coming along quite nicely, though I think they will be at their best in about 5 or 6 weeks.
I stopped to visit my friend, Katie. Katie died from cancer a few years ago, leaving behind her husband and two teenaged daughters. They installed a bench in the park for her recently. When Katie’s sister Gretchen goes to visit, she tapes photos to the bench, which I assume are removed by park staff. I taped a picture of Katie with our friend Janet, at Gretchen’s wedding back in 2011. Janet and Katie were BFFs, and this loss has been especially hard on her.
I played word games! I got my Wordle in 2 one day this week. I always start with the same word, PRICE. From there, I have a few rules, which are in honor of Mulder. If, after putting in PRICE, the word could be STEAK, I use STEAK. If it could be STAKE, I use STAKE (because Mulder was very smart, but not a great speller. Also, our girl Genevieve pronounced it “STAH-KAY”, which seems like it would be spelled STAKE.) If the word could be PUPPY, I use PUPPY. I was happy to see that pop up for him. Coincidentally, I saw a Keeshonden (Mulder’s breed) when Elaine and I were walking around the area near the park looking for a place to eat. Keeshonden are not a common breed, so it’s always exciting to see them. I feel like I see maybe one every year.
Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary. 33 years on the 3rd of the month feels kind of like making a wish at 11:11 for some reason. I hope this means it will be a lucky year for us, or at least a lucky day. I’m not sure what we will end up doing, other than going for a fancy dinner in San Francisco.
For me, the meaning of marriage is choosing each other, again and again, every day. Some days that is easy, you are on the same page and have stars in your eyes and pink puffy hearts and all of that. Some days it is more difficult, you get on each other’s nerves. And there are the difficult days when you don’t know if you can make it work. On those days, you might stop to consider…is this person on my side? Do they want what is best for me? Are we a team? Ted and I have been together for so long, we have had all of these days. Happily, we have so many more good days than bad. I always want Ted to be on my side, fighting for me, believing in me. I always want to be on his side, fighting for him, believing in him. We have a good life, and I choose him, every day.
Happy 4th to my American friends. Stout hearts, things are rough right now. They have been rough before. Let’s make it better. For my Canadian friends, Happy belated Canada Day! And to everyone else, I hope your summer is going well and that you are not melting in summer heat.
42 Comments
AC
You sure made the most of your time.
BTW, puppy took me all 6 tries iirc.
That’s unique wedding photo.
J
Living where we do, it’s pretty easy to find things to do. And the weather was nice, not hot, which was definitely a bonus.
PocoBrat
Happy 33rd wedding anniversary! Love the wedding photo!
I got a picture of that same Wordle from A too, saying it was his fave Wordle ever. (He calls me Puppy.)
Terrific Staycation ideas–lunch, art, flowers… goals for when our current heatwave is over.
J
We were lucky, the weather was really nice this week! I know you’ve been suffering though. 🙁
Elisabeth
I love seeing that wedding photo. The colours are amazing and your love for each other leaps off the page. Congrats on another year of marriage and love and togetherness.
Hooray for vacation time and a staycation. I love that you carved out special time to enjoy good food and a good book. Two of your favourite things. Life is too short to not lean into those good things that bring pleasure and delight.
Happy 4th of July tomorrow <3
Elisabeth
OH! The Monet’s. I loved seeing these!!! I saw one of the exact buildings you posted a picture of; it’s supposed to be a “cursed” building in Venice and Monet painted it something like 18 times??
If I ever get to visit you, we are going to an art gallery together!!! Can you tell I’ve thought about it??
J
We have some good museums and galleries for sure! I hope you make it out this way so I can take you. Indy would love walking across the GG bridge, though he would not be able to climb anything while there.
J
Thanks Elisabeth! Yes, life is short, we should do things that make us happy whenever we can. I enjoyed this relaxing week.
Birchie
Wordle was quite eventful this week with two days with triple letter answers (emcee and puppy).
I approve of Julie taking Julie out to lunch! How fun!
Happy 33rd!!!
NGS
I don’t do Wordle, but “puppy” and “emcee” would PISS ME OFF. Perhaps that’s why I do not do it. LOL.
J
Yeah, I suspect a lot of people struggled with both EMCEE and PUPPY. PUPPY of course was a lucky guess for me. EMCEE was more ‘what else could this possibly be?’
J
LOL, I forgot about EMCEE. I got it, but don’t remember if it took me a lot of tries or not.
NGS
Yes for a staycation! You did such a good job of finding things that would make you happy.
I’m sorry about your friend Katie. I hope she appreciates the dedication you all have to print out a photo and remember to bring tape with you to put on her bench. That takes real logistical planning!
J
Katie loves the photo, I am sure. I was a little worried about bringing the tape into the museum, with the sharp cutting edges, but no one looked in my bag. Whew!
Nicole MacPherson
I did not get puppy, and then I felt like the stupidest person ever.
Happy anniversary! I love love love seeing wedding photos and then “now” photos – there is something so wonderful about growing older with a person. I agree with you on the work that it takes in a marriage, to choose each other and to work together. It’s not always easy! But long marriages can be such a beautiful thing.
I love that your friend Katie has a bench. I have told the boys that I want a bench and in the spirit of Lloyd Forest – a man I don’t know but who has a bench that says “In Loving Memory of Lloyd Forest, He wants you to know the park closes at 11” – I want something about returning shopping carts. The boys have told me that they do not want to do that, but they will compromise by getting me one that says “Putting the OM in OMG.” May this be many decades in the future! Ah, talking about death. Hopefully I’m not scarring them.
There was a man behind me at the Heathrow airport security who had to remove his belt. But his pants must have been at least eight sizes too big, as he had to hold them up. Well, there is a screen where you put your hands behind your head and it was this whole thing. I was trying not to laugh and he said to me “I’d hate to get arrested for NOT having explosives” and then whoaaaa nelly the security people were all over him. Bad joke! But they did eventually get him all screened and he managed not to show everyone his junk, so we were all happy.
Why are my stories always so weird?
Anyway, that last thing, I just commented on Jenny’s post about how weird it is that people just set off fireworks, from wherever they are. It is BIZARRE.
J
You should definitely not feel stupid that you didn’t get PUPPY. Words with 3 of the same letter are hard. Is Rex disappointed in you? I doubt it. LOL about the guy with the pants at Heathrow. Poor guy certainly made the wrong joke! I remember once seeing a guy with his pants down really low, and he had to get his wallet, and he was bending way over. HA!
Personal fireworks are definitely illegal in California, especially with the fire danger. But yes, people do them anyway, and it’s BS. Last year we were driving home from a friend’s house, and people were setting them off RIGHT over the freeway and it was terrifying.
StephLove
Sounds like a great staycation. I hope it was rejuvenating. Love the wedding photo.
J
Thank you! It has definitely been relaxing.
Margaret
I love Monet and impressionism; the light in the paintings makes me feel more cheerful and uplifted. (need that lately) I notice you’re reading the latest Patchett–any good? I hope we choose it for Book Club. You had such a lovely staycation and did so many special activities. I really like what you wrote about your anniversary and your marriage. Also, the first meme is way too accurate. I seem to be plucking more and more!
J
I LOVED Whistler so much that I went back and am rereading it. So good.
Lisa’s Yarns
I love your reflection on marriage. It really is as simple or as hard as choosing each other each day, through good and bad and awful and everything in between.
Ugh fireworks. It is not my favorite thing. But my kids are so dazzled by them. So I try to see them through their eyes.
J
Fireworks are stupid. Also bright and lovely and loud and fun.
Michelle G.
Oooooh, the art and the flowers are so beautiful! I might have to look into that, as I have to go to my eye specialist in San Francisco in August, and maybe having some art to look forward to would help.
Happy anniversary! I love your wedding photo! I think I told you before that we also celebrated 33 years. I love what you wrote about choosing each other again and again every day.
I laughed so hard at the first meme.
J
I love the museums in San Francisco! This particular exhibit is ending later this month, but there will be something else to enjoy I am sure. I like the permanent collection at the Legion of Honor more than the de Young.
Jenny
The fireworks have started here ( 8 pm on Friday night). My husband is grumbling about it. I say, “go with the flow.” If these people want to leave their cold dead fingers by the sidewalk, so be it.
Happy Anniversary! LOVE the wedding photo! You obviously have the right idea about marriage, which is why you’re still together after 33 years.
I would complain there are no cats in this post, but Elisabeth’s post today gave me a good fix.
J
LOL, yeah, no cats! They were all adopted, and with people going out of town for vacations, they didn’t bring any new ones in. Next week!
San
Haha, that first image made me laugh.
Happy anniversary to you and Ted. 33 years! Amazing. You described marriage perfectly… and that the good days outweigh the bad days and that you continue to support and believe in each other is all anyone can hope for in their relationships. I am so happy to hear when it’s working out for two people (and I hope the dinner was lovely!).
Is that a butter lettuce salad? I love butter lettuce!
J
Oh San, this salad is amazing. It’s SO simple. Butter lettuce, pine nuts, grana padano cheese, and a bright, slightly creamy lemon dressing. I love it. They also have an amazing mushroom pasta that I adore. Come to Oakland, we can go there for lunch! Maybe Mieke would join us.
Tamara
What a relaxing week, and wonderful that it ends in a happy anniversary. Let me just raise my coffee cup to you and wish you many more! Thank you also for sharing your wedding photo with us, it is always nice to see beginnings.
J
Thank you Tamara! It has been a lovely week indeed.
nance
Happy, happy anniersary, and may there be many, many more! I love seeing that wedding photo; it looks joyful, loving, and so colorful.
I very much concur with your thoughts on the mechanics of marriage. Rick and I have been all those places in ours, too, but we can’t even imagine being there with anyone else. I’d offer that there really isn’t ever true Balance in marriage; one person is always going to have to give a bit more, but being willing to do that is what it’s all about.
Your staycation sounds (and looks!) absolutely perfect. Take those days you’re entitled to! You never know what could happen.
PUPPY! I got it on the second guess, too! I feel like Wordle is getting more challenging. Please tell me that it is and that it’s not my brain losing power. And here’s to the Dogs Of Our Lives; may they always bring a smile to our faces in remembrance.
J
You got PUPPY in two! All the heart eyes for that and your thoughts on the Dogs of our Lives.
I also appreciate your thoughts about balance in relationships. It’s never truly 50/50, one person has to give more. Sometimes that person can shift, depending on the phase of life, etc.
Suzanne
Happy belated anniversary, Julie! Your thoughts on marriage made me all teary. What a beautiful perspective. I LOVE that photo of you and your husband. Your sari is gorgeous.
The salad looks yummy and I love that you were able to visit Katie’s bench and honor her with a little light vandalism. (I AM TOTALLY KIDDING, I don’t think it’s vandalism at all, I would be so delighted to see a photo of the person being memorialized on a bench or plaque. It irritates me that the park people remove the photos, although I *guess* I understand.)
What a nice staycation week. Hope you have a very pleasant weekend. xxoo
J
Thank you Suzanne. Regarding Katie’s bench, I feel like, how would the staff know that pictures are of the person on the bench? And they have to have a policy that handles that, so I’m fine with it. At the same time, I wish the picture could stay. I love that picture.
ernie
The best I can do is a mustache made me howl. So damn funny. I love learning the things you did to relax on your time off. When I worked for a baseball cap manufacturer before I was married, a very old. long time employee died. They named his birthday as a day off for the company forever, so I always got July 2nd and 3rd or whatever off, and it was off. RIP, Walter. He was so great. Taking yourself to lunch. I don’t think I’ve ever done that, but it sounds great. Happy happy anniversary. I agree with your summation of a marriage. Some days are hard. Ask me about planting a tree in our yard last month (it didn’t happen), but most of the time – I’m blessed to have him in my corner. He gets me. He likes me. he’s good to me. It’s a good life, and I hope each of our kids finds a partner like that. Our 30th anniversary is Aug 10th. I think we will be driving Curly to SC for college that day. 😉
J
You’ve never gone to a nice place for lunch by yourself? I think EVERYONE should do this once in a while. I really have only done it in the last couple of years, but I find it delightful.
Ernie
No- I do not think I have eaten at a nice place by myself. I will add it to my things to do. 😉
J
There will be a time in your life when you will have time for such things! Enjoy when it happens.
Diane
Happy Anniversary! Oh I love that picture and how you guys are looking at each other like you’re both just so happy to be with each other. The smile on Ted’s face! Did you ever write a post about your wedding? I’d be so interested to read about it!
That Monet exhibit looks wonderful. So glad that you got to see it.
There is a Cassatt exhibit here at the National Gallery – I can’t tell if it’s the same one that I saw in Philadelphia (and that you saw in SF), but I want to go regardless – I love her paintings.
J
I looked up the Cassatt exhibit, it looks like it is not exactly the same but will be similar and have a lot of the same paintings. I would definitely want to see them again if I had the chance, ENJOY!
Stephany
Happy anniversary! I love your thoughts and reflections on marriage. <3 What a wonderful relationship you have with Ted!
I was using "spare" as my Wordle starting word until I lost my streak (169 days!) and now I'm using "noise." Still have yet to get Wordle in 1 but have gotten it in 2 a few times, which is always a thrill.
I love a staycation week! It's just nice to mosey around, doing the things you want to do, and not have to worry about WORK.
J
OK, now I went down a rabbit hole. There’s a website that will tell you whether your word has been used yet, here: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/wordle-past-answers
The site says that as of Feb 2, 2026, Wordle has started reusing words. HOWEVER, according to the same site, while SPARE, NOISE, STAKE, and PRICE have all been used, STEAK has not. Perhaps I should start using STEAK for Mulder. However, when I got PRICE in 1, it was a bit of a letdown. I prefer a 2 somehow. Getting it in 1 just feels like pure luck, which of course it is.