Friday Randomness
Happy New Year!
First off, thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes. I had a lovely day. I slept in, and then we went to breakfast, and then got cleaned up and went to see Hamnet. You guys. It was AMAZING. I was a little worried about going with Ted and Maya, because it’s a sad story about grief and that seems like a downer on a birthday. BUT they both loved it, loved it, loved it, and I loved it too. I liked the book, but I had issues with it that might disappear on a second reading. My issue with the book (A me problem maybe) was that it bounced back in forth in time, but I knew that Shakespeare’s son was going to die, and I knew it was Shakespeare, and so I kept waiting for these things to come about. But it’s a quiet book and more about his wife Agnes and their family life than about him and his work. I didn’t appreciate that as much as I should have in the book and I now want to go ahead and reread it. BUT, the film is linear, starts at the beginning and goes foreword, and that was better for me. Beyond that, the acting is spectacular, and the cinematography is stunning and much of it looks like a Vermeer painting. A+++, I can’t wait to watch it again. Did I cry? Absolutely, several times. Did I come out of it feeling like there is hope after great loss? Yeah.
We went and had a lovely dinner next, salmon and beef bourguignon, absolutely delicious. We were home by 8 I think, then watched Stranger Things and early bedtime. We stayed up until probably mountain time New Years, which is later than intended.
I started my New Year in an awesome way! Breakfast with Kyria! I had thought we might have breakfast and then go for a walk but it was kind of dumping rain so we just sat and chatted for a few hours and it was absolutely lovely. I intended to take a picture or two, but I forgot, so here we are. Breakfast with Kyria, A+++.
In other news, the big project around here has finally started. Our townhouse complex is replacing the 1978 shingles (left) with newer, less flammable siding (right) and it’s looking great. It has been a lot of work, unpaid by our HOA board member volunteers (Ted included).
In other other news, we had Salade Nicoise for dinner the other night. I think of Salade Nicoise as a late summer meal when tomatoes are at their prime, but this was delicious and could happen again pretty soon around here.
Pretty flowers from Ted for my birthday, with my friend Nadine’s painting in the background.
Ted took down the Christmas decorations, and suddenly the house feels lighter. I cleaned out the fridge and made a nice New Years dinner (pasta with lamb and peas and tomato sauce. I should have taken a picture for you.)
In other other other news, look at the weather in my old hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska. They are going through a shitty cold snap right now. Not good. You have to plug in your car at night to keep the engine from freezing, the energy bills are through the roof, and you can’t leave the house. We left Fairbanks when I was 9, so I don’t remember a lot of this particular bullshit, but sometimes I pop in and see how things are going this time of year, and I get little cabin fever flashbacks.
Elsewhere in Alaska, this is the situation in Juneau, where my brother Richard and his wife Kathy live. This is Kathy showing the height of the snow banks around their house. She’s about 5’3”, and this was a couple of days ago. They’re trying to keep paths clean, and Kathy has had 4 snow days in a row off from work. They had 82 inches of snow in December, which sounds horrible to me. Alaska is truly beautiful, but this news makes me fond of California.
What else. Well, Maya got me some noise cancelling AirPods for my birthday, and wow, I did not know what I was missing. I’ve always been kind of wedded to wired earbuds, because I am crazy and fear a) brain tumors from having Bluetooth right up by my head (I swear I do not have aluminum foil around my head or anything) and b) that I will lose them in the street somewhere. I LOVE THEM. Ted was cleaning the carpet yesterday and boy, it was loud. Pop them in and suddenly everything is so much quieter. At the grocery store, listening to my book, and when I pulled one out to talk to the guy behind the meat counter (and again at checkout) suddenly the Muzak and other noises popped up. WOW. I love it.
The photo at the top is from our trip to the Legion of Honor the other day…we came out at the golden hour, and the lighting was amazing.
What are you loving these days? Did you have a nice New Years?
46 Comments
Nicole MacPherson
I’m glad you had such a lovely birthday!
I have Hamnet on my TBR and I’m looking forward to reading it, I have really enjoyed that author in the past. I’m the last person in the world to read it but hey, better late than never!
J
I haven’t read anything else by this author but I did enjoy Hamnet and may reread it since I own a physical copy.
Birchie
Breakfast with Kyria to kick off the new year? You have won 2026, my friend.
I need to know more about your airpods! Do you have in the little ear pods or the big headphones like you had me try on? I ended up getting some Bose noise cancelling headphones after that which I love to wear while I’m vacuuming or on a plane, but they feel a little cumbersome to wear and I’d like to get some smaller ear buds. The only problem is that I’ve tried two buds out (neither of them were airpods) and they didn’t fit my ears very well so the noise cancelling was non-existent. Tell me everything!
J
Mine are the litle ones that fit in your ears. There are 3 levels, and Maya got me the mid tier ones (AirPod 4 with active noise cancellation). She got the top tier set for Christmas (AirPod Pro 3 – which also fit in your ears, not over your head) and 1. She LOVES them, says the noise cancelling is better than the ones that go over her head (which are not Apple); 2. Hers come with different size pads, so they can work for people with smaller ears and bigger ears. Mine came as one size fits all. They are awesome is all I have to say about that. I would think if you have trouble finding earbuds that fit you properly, you might go with the spendy ones. And if there’s an Apple Store near you, you might try the ones I have and if they don’t fit, return them and get the ones with several sizes.
I forgot that we tried the noise cancelling headphones for you!
nance
I’m so glad about Hamnet. The team behind it has a stellar pedigree, so I knew it would be done well. I am thisclose to actually GOING TO A THEATRE to see it. With people. Holy crap.
How ashamed I am of myself for feeling fussy and put-upon by our meagre few inches of snow now that I’ve seen Fairbanks. Of course, we were treated to several days of Seeing Grass Again before it all got covered up, but it’s not like I live in Florida, for heaven’s sake.
Hooray for meeting up with Kyria to start off your New Year! How wonderful for you both. Your birthday just keeps going and going with lovely moments and happy things. As well it should.
J
You’d better hurry, I’m not sure it will be in the theater much longer. Though it’s getting a lot of awards buzz, so maybe. DO IT NANCE!
I’m lucky in the Kyria department in that she has family a few hours away and a very close friend right down the road, so she’s in this area for Christmas / New Year’s (I mean, thus far for the 2 years since she started her adventure this has been true).
That cold in Fairbanks is no joke, right? And then the snow in Juneau? INSANE. Here we just get rain.
AC
Hamnet seems like one of the few movies that I would truly enjoy. I mean that it would be worth the effirt more than many.
J
Definitely worth the effort!
NGS
Well, I didn’t care for the book Hamnet and there’s no way I’m going to watch that movie! Too much!
Breakfast with Kyria is a fun way to start the New Year! Yay! Hopefully 2026 brings more fun meals with friends.
It has been whiplash weather here. It snows, then it warms up and it all melts, then it snows again. We haven’t had 82 inches of snow (holy cow!), but we’ve had plenty and it’s been good to get out there and shovel, although my husband does most of the hard work and I just sweep the stairs and such. But we’re in a snow on the ground phase now and I love it because it’s pretty and Hannah likes to do zoomies in the snow!
J
Hamnet was very emotional, and if you didn’t like the book, perhaps the movie wouldn’t do it for you. Best to steer clear.
I miss dog zoomies. Samantha (my dog in Fairbanks) used to LOVE zooming around in the snow. She got a lot of opportunity for it, too. She was in a bit of shock when we moved to California, I think, and it only snowed once (and barely) for the entire rest of her life. (She died in 1988, and it still hasn’t snowed down at sea level like where we were then, though it’s gotten close once or twice.)
Jacquie
I read Hamnet and mostly liked it (I can’t remember exactly what I didn’t like), and am going to see the movie tomorrow with a friend. I’m glad you enjoyed it and your review makes me even more excited to see it. Tissues are already in my purse 🙂
J
Yes, keep those tissues handy!
PocoBrat
Sounds like a wonderful birthday and beautiful start to the new year, Julie…
And relieved that Hamnet didn’t upend your birthday. I too thought the movie improved upon the book (although I loved it too). I think the actors did such brilliant work–just in awe.
Love your friend Nadine’s work!
And now, I’m going to have to scroll up to look at your first photo, because I’m having a minor panic attack after looking at those snow drifts…
J
Living in Michigan, I’ll bet you get lots of snow. Being a tropical gal, it must be rough!
Alexandra
Belated birthday wishes. It sounds like a fab birthday with great company and food. And wow, there was me thinking we’d had a lot of snow here, in Quebec. I always forget Alaska can be pretty wild up there. But it’s not the snow that bothers me here, it’s the bitterly cold temperatures. It was MINUS 22 when we got up today. Welcome to 2026!
J
Minus 22? HORRIBLE. Thank you for the birthday wishes, it was a lovely day.
Margaret
I liked “Hamnet” but loved the ending. I can’t find anyone to go to the film with me; it isn’t John’s kind of movie. I will watch it when it streams. That Salade Nicoise looks amazing! I have fond memories of them from Nice. I’m glad you had such a lovely birthday and NYE. My holidays had high spots and a few low ones which I don’t want to focus on. Such is life.
J
I’m sorry for the low spots of your holidays, but agree, best to try not to focus on those.
I think you will love Hamnet – the film. If I were local we could go, I’d happily see it again.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Your start into the new year and your birthday sound excellent. Happy. Bright. Loevely. And you got to see Kyria. Fun.
I got AirPods for Christmas but havnt tried them yet. I bet I will love them when in the train and public transport.
J
I think you’re going to love the noise cancelling of the airpods!
Sarah
I have the same fears re: bluetooth. BUT— I love to write and work at coffee shops or the library, and noise cancellation is THE BEST.
J
It really is the best, right? Glad to know I’m not alone in my fears I guess.
Lisa’s Yarns
I am in the minority in not loving Hamnet. I was not familiar with Hamlet and wonder if that somewhat impacted my reading experience. I love O’Farrell but prefer her books set in more modern times. I do want to see the movie. And maybe I should try reading Hamnet again. It’s definitely a me problem, though.
Your birthday sounded wonderful! A film and good food with your family is perfection! And then to see Kyria! I am envious! I don’t know when I will see her again but I am glad we saw her before her European adventure. She was at our house for 3-4 days and she’s the kind of friend that when she asks what she can do to help, I actually give her something to do. So one day when we were at work, she started dinner and it was the absolute best to come home to dinner mostly made! Phil and I were like – can she just stay here forever? LOL.
J
I don’t think knowing Hamlet would make any difference, actually. I was searching for parallels and I think that actually decreased my enjoyment of the book, because I wasn’t just reading and enjoying the story. I think you will love the film, it was really good.
I can see where Kyria would be an amazing house guest, and how lovely to have her for a few days!
Michelle G.
I’m so jealous of your Salade Niçoise! It looks delicious! The weather in Alaska looks frightful. -40 is NOT fun. We’ve had the weirdest, mildest winter here (so far) in Montana! I’m enjoying it!
The AirPods sound amazing, and I’ll have to check them out.
J
The Salade Nicoise was indeed lovely. We’ve made it in the past and for some reason it seemed to come together more easily this time. Delicious.
Elisabeth
I just could not do Hamnet. IT WAS TOO SAD for me, Julie. I tried. So the movie is also a no-go for me. What I read was beautifully written, but I was an emotional wreck and had to DNF.
That salad looks amazing. In fact, I have yet to see a single food item produced in your kitchen that does not look restaurant worthy. Are you secretly moonlighting as a famous chef somewhere? If not… maybe you should be.
Almost all our decorations are down. It’s sad, but it also needed to happen!
J
Don’t do Hamnet if it’s too much for you, Elisabeth…one thing about the film, though, is that as it is linear, there is a lot of happiness and joy before the sadness comes.
Thank you for your kind words about my meals! My photography skills are crummy, and I do not make up recipes, so not a chef. Maybe a cook?
ernie
Your birthday sounds lovely. I did a similar thing – slept late, HOORAY, and spent a chunk of the day with Coach going to lunch and mass. I saw Hamnet before my bday because Mini could not wait any longer and we loved it so much. Oh wow, life in Alaska sounds really challenging. Look at that snow! I love that you started the year off the right way – breakfast and lingering to chat longer with Kyria sounds ideal. Coach got me earbud things for my birthday. I do not own any and haven’t for a very long time. He thinks the ones that fit in my ear would bother me (he’s probably right) so he got me the kind that hook over my ear. I’ve not opened them yet, so I’ll report back. Curly wears noise cancelling ones in her room doing homeowrk and Coach and I about lost our minds when we try to call her to dinner and she doesn’t hear us. 😉
J
LOL regarding calling someone to dinner. That happens here too. We turn the light on and off at the stairway, but if you don’t see it, then it’s annoying. I mean, how difficult is it to go up and tell someone? Not that difficult, but still.
I’m glad you had a good birthday, and that you saw Hamnet. I used to have ear buds that hooked over my ears, before I had my iPhone. Or maybe before the iPhone changed the connection so I couldn’t use those any more. They had great sound, but no noise cancelling feature. I’ll be interested to hear about yours.
Jenny
First of all, breakfast with Kyria is always going to be an A++++++ experience! I know this because I spent a day with her in December. Second- I feel like it would be risky to see a movie on your birthday, because what if you hated it? I’m VERY glad you loved Hamnet so much! I have not read the book, and honestly I’m so sick and tired of books that go back and forth in time. Maybe I’ll just see the movie and skip the book.
Okay- Alaska. That sounds TERRIBLE. Both areas- the 40 below temps and 82 inches of snow. Just- no, no, no. Reading about this is a good way to make us all appreciate whatever weather we’re having!
J
Regarding Kyria, yes, she told me how much she enjoyed her time with you in Florida!
Regarding Hamnet, I think you will love the movie. I think I would have been fine if one of us hated the movie, but I was really happy that we all loved it so much.
Allison McCaskill
Happy birthday late! That does sound like an amazing day (and amazing flowers and painting). I loved Hamnet and Judith the book, and haven’t managed to see the movie yet but I love Jessie Buckley. One thing I keep meaning to look up is that I thought his wife was Anne hathaway so why is she Agnes? Okay, I looked it up and apparently she was called both.
We used to have to plug our car in in Northern Ontario. The stories of my mom driving off dragging the plug behind her are many. But that? That is Too Much Snow. I think my mood would suffer greatly.
We had a lovely new year’s and I am feeling pretty good, considering this time of year is traditionally really bad for me mental health-wise.
J
I’m glad you’re feeling good so far this year. The dark and cold can really wear on a person, and once the holidays are over, it can feel like there’s nothing to look forward to.
We wondered about Agnes vs Anne too. At the end of the book she mentions that her father calls her Agnes in his will, which is why she used that name. It was interesting to me that Hamnet and Hamlet were interchangeable names at the time.
Melissa
Breakfast with Kyria—what a great start to the New Year. I’m pretty sure that living in Alaska is for people who are mych hardier than me!
J
Hardier than most, I would say. The population up there is not large for a reason!
LeeAnna
so good! I LOVE your style
I lived in Edmonton Alberta Canada and minus 40 temps required plugging in your engine warmers, we knew our car from the little hood circle left after snow melted.
I might have to sign up for your posts by email…faulty rememberer!
LeeAnna at not afraid of color, in HOT Aurora CO
J
My memory is the same way!
Noemi
Happy belated birthday! I have to say, I was not super interestd in seeing Hamnet, but now I am. You definitely sold me on it (I will probably see it when it comes to streaming though…) So fun that you got to see Kyria! The weather has been pretty blah here, but hearing about what it has been like in Alaska makes me very grateful for some simple rain! I’ll take it!
J
It’s going to change for us soon, and we will have lovely weather again.
I’m definitely going to watch Hamnet again when it’s on streaming.
StephLove
Happy belated birthday! Wow, that’s a lot of snow. I don’t know if I could deal with that, so much shoveling.
J
I don’t think I could deal with it either, but I guess people do. So much shoveling. SO MUCH.
Stephany
I’m glad you had such a lovely birthday and the movie was a good experience for everyone. I have Hamnet on my bookshelf, but haven’t picked it up yet. I’m worried I’m not going to like it!
Those Alaska pictures, eeps! One season of that and I’d be finding somewhere else to live, lol. You have to be supremely hearty to live in Alaska!
Yesss Airpods! I had to get special eartips from Amazon because normal Apple eartips just fall right out of my ears, but once I got the right size, I was SET. The noise-canceling aspect can’t be beat!
J
I LOVE the noise canceling. I can dry my hair and listen to my book at the same time.
San
I love that you had such a lovely birthday… and then brunch with Kyria! What a treat! I didn’t know she was back in our neck of the woods (at least temporarily, hehe!).
I haven’t read Hamnet and only saw trailers for the movie. It looks good, but yeah, sad… I don’t know if I can handle (more) sad right now.
The snow in Alaska is crazy. It sounds like that is “the usual” in Alaska though. Pretty impressive if you can live there.
I love my Airpods. They’re particularly useful in a cubicle setting at work LOL
J
Hamnet seemed like it would be horribly sad, and it was…but also uplifting and hopeful. Surviving great loss, resiliance, that kind of thing.