Thursday Thoughts - Heartaches come and go, and all that's left are the words

Working in town yesterday. I miss being able to quickly walk to my chiropractor, to get my eyebrows done, grab lunch, a little longer walk to my acupuncturist, and see art and movement and all sorts of people along the way. If only I could work there without losing two hours a day or more to commute. It's not feasible daily with the way we have adapted our work life and times over the past two years. I was the only person in my office yesterday.

Speaking of lunch, the crispy chicken salad at Sweetgreen is amazing

Going to the chiro and acupuncturist is part of my regular wellness plan, but this time I went specifically for arm numbness. My radial nerve is compressed. Hopefully with the intense acu I had yesterday and stretching it will go back to normal and I won't need to escalate

Seeing signs of spring

Reading this as of last night. I didn't feel like reading at all most of the week and this sucked me in immediately which is always good when I'm in a not reading mood

Despite what the essential 80s music form of power ballads led us all to believe, most heartbreak is not romantic but rather attributable to the ways of the world  and the casual disregard people have for each other on small and large scales. 

Why in the shit fuck is anyone voting for a party who posts shit like this on Twitter? Do you guys know Critical Race Theory is not like...the mere existence of Black people? The insane personal and systemic racism on display in this farcical Supreme Court justice hearing yet you do not want any sort of high level (like, grad level, like above most of our heads without teaching level...not babies learning critical race theory or kids in schools) thought put into that like...critical race theory. I see exactly where you're coming from. 

The Judge is imminently qualified. The hearing is ridiculous and insane and feeds right into the mediocrity of the white men in government and puts the worst of our racism and misogyny on display. There is nothing more to say. 

North Korea? Not today. 

Meeting a coworker for lunch today. Getting back out there more regularly and it feels good. Lots of time with fam and friends coming up in the next few months too.

I always vote for patent leather, even in my athleisure shoes aka the only shoes I wear now.

Aldi pizza - recommend, for the price point and ease

Middle fingers in the air to gas stations that put one amount on the sign and charge a different amount if you are paying credit without large CASH PRICE sign. Who in the shit fuck has enough cash on them to pay for a full tank of gas right now? Probably a lot of you but not me. I'm lucky if I have $10 in cash, ever. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Don't Know What You Got Til It's Gone by Cinderella

Thursday Thoughts - Could you smile when inside you just want to cry, want to cry

1. Sometimes I get stuck in a loop with a song, and it's never a new song. Last year it was Midnight Blue at some point by Lou Gramm. Right now it's If I'd Been the One by .38 Special. Who I always envision in my head as ZZ Top even though I know they do not look like ZZ Top. They look like this. And of course the title lyric is from this song. This has been a glimpse into the mind of an 80s kid. Come back any time.

2. This week's birthday month behavior: painted my nails and toes at home, got my hair spruced up by Kristi at Salon Harmony (this is the before, obvi), did some maintenance acupuncture for wellness, made a comfort food casserole as part of my use all the shit in the freezer and pantry quest, and ordered two holographic nail polishes from mooncat. 

3. We also caught The Dinner Party episode of The Office, which is one of the top TV show episodes of all time. 

4. I was in the city yesterday, which means elevator selfies and other people's coffee and train station steps. And not much else because the rain. I was there with no umbrella or hood like an idiot (descrip below) who has forgotten how to operate in public. I also had to use my wool jacket as an umbrella to walk the half mile back to my car at the end of the day.

It also meant lunches out with coworkers, which I miss. Walking the three blocks back to my office in a particular monsoon time meant water literally dripping from my face and having to dry off with paper towels. Do not recommend. 

5.In many book talking spaces on the internet it appears people buy all books and when libraries are suggested it is clear they do not know libraries are free for ALL people, you just need a card. So in case anyone out there doesn't know, you don't need to buy ALL books. It is great to buy to support some authors and if you want to read books the library does not have, but in general please use your public libraries.  If you only read e-books, you can do that through your library as well and a librarian would be happy to help you figure out how to do that. Libraries are a community resource and one of the very few things in this country that remains FREE and available to ALL.

6. Do we need this at this time? I don't want to speak for you but I do not. Giant spiders dropping from the sky not welcome

7.  Pantry cleanout means mixing pasta remnants. MFD had to learn yesterday. I did a post on stretching your food budget yesterday. Not an easy world out there right now on so many fronts. Hope you're all hanging in there. 

8. Dad & Carol are here this week for dad's other cataract surgery. The dogs have been pleased. They get tired of just us sometimes...even if you can't tell from these pics

9. Reminder via itsbananacrush - I know when there is so much to be done or when so much is going on within you and around you it seems like the best option is to push through, but that's not usually the case. Most of the time it's to pull back and regroup. It took me a long time to learn this, I hope it takes you less. 

10. Ecards - 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is If I'd Been the One by .38 Special

TWTW - Q8

Friday I was on the beach at 5:30 am, then work work work work work, then zoom happy hour with work fam, followed by a visit from Melissa, Blane, and Alex on their way home from Wildwood. I have zero recollection of anything else from Friday night. Oh, now I do. I went to bed at 12:15 despite being up super early, was woken up at 2:20 am, then at 4:30 am by dogs. 

Saturday After the early wake up I eased into the day. MFD headed back to Philly to do volunteer work. I painted my nails (Essie Flying Solo) and toes (Zoya Charla). MFD's fam arrived to clean out my mother-in-law's apartment. I checked out the new shower curtain up in the bathroom and sat in my driveway until my overspray and weeding that needs to be done distracted me and I moved to the porch watching all the people head to the beach that opened for full access Saturday. Photos online made it like people were up each other's asses. My neighbors who walked back and reported to me on the porch told me people were maintaining distance and respectful. Who knows. Anyway I stayed where I was. We are porch people and my old dog Gus is happiest when I am sitting with him. When they got back from my MIL's we had a big ass seafood meal and I ate a fried platter against my better judgement and was overfull all night. 

Sunday Coffee on the porch, then MFD and siblings headed back to do more clean out work at my MIL's. I chilled and read and walked dogs. When he got back we both fell asleep, then ordered for pickup from Luigi's and watched Back to the Future. I was in bed by 10. 

I'm pretty sure 95% of the people I know have seen people at this point  - whether you made the decision or it was made for you to see your parents/grandkids/etc due to circumstances beyond your control or an outdoor set up that makes it possible to do so - here are some good guidelines to follow as we are opening back up in various ways or at the end of our ropes without seeing people in person as to risk/reward weighing and how to do things a little more safely. And as I said Friday, if you have a reason (justified or not) to do it, others have also, so give grace. 

How was your weekend?

Thursday Thoughts - when I win your heart I'm gonna paint it cherry red

1. I was in the car last week when this song came on. I've been obsessed with it ever since after having forgotten it existed for the past 30 years. Then I watched the video and became even more obsessed. It is terrible and marvelous in its terribleness. Oh, 80s. What a time to be alive.

2. This is what happens when your car is parked on the street during snow and ice events that are salted, continually pelted by passerby castoff grime.

3. I need to go to Target tonight, and since I'm going after a meeting, MFD is going to be with me. There's too much co-shopping going on recently for my liking. I like to be in and out like a cart pushing ninja and he is the middle of the aisle dawdler.

4. This week in dog town, I am awaiting a new $60 orthopedic bed for Gus that he will surely turn his nose up at, and Bruce is getting his booster shot today so he can start going to Camp Bow Wow once a week to play. Mae continues to attempt to rule with a judgmental fist.

5. Things I do not recommend: this Sweater from Target - loved the color online, not so much in person; Dermalogica Ultra Calming Cleanser, Skin Smoothing Lotion, and (not pictured) the exfoliant - Pay one million dollars to have my face look like it was rubbed with sandpaper and decorated in hives? No thank you; and Toms Ella Bootie - I got them in black cherry (no longer avail) for the color, but they are way too narrow for my feet. There are a bunch of Philosophy products that are about to go back too. I feel like I am treating drugstore skin with cadillac products, but I have Korres and Lush to cycle through before I slink back to the dingy aisles of Rite-Aid.

6. I'm sorry, I can't. All of his insanity about the anthem and he does not know the words and can't stand still for it? Stop it right fucking now. Speaking of not understanding, if you need help decoding the transcripts of the Fusion interview Feinstein released, check out this Twitter thread.

But what do I know. He's the stable genius, after all.

7. I know many of us are looking for someone to pull us the fuck out of this mess, and people are all Oprah 2020! but this is how I feel about her Golden Globes speech - it wasn't about her. It was about us. "This was a speech about how seeing someone else model the fight against racism, sexism, and injustice activates us to fight alongside." Yes, yes, and fuck yes. Please read that opinion piece.

8. Feministas: Check out this article about how to raise empowered women starting in middle school. I don't think it covers everything but we need to be talking about this earlier and not sending women out into the working world thinking they can be perfect and not knowing how to deal with setbacks and failure.We are still raising girls to please others too much to the detriment of themselves. I'd like to drop the girls are princesses who will be saved by men or who are entitled to a perfect life schtick also. Princesses have a place and it's in the imagination and playroom. Not in real life. And do you follow wearemarchon on Instagram? They are counting down the days to the Women's March next weekend and it is everything.

9. Reminder: Being satisfied with yourself is not stagnation.

10. E-card of the week:

Whatcha got?