Thursday Thoughts - Here everybody has a neighbor everybody has a friend

1. Let the record reflect that I got an old cavity fixed up at the dentist Tuesday and I didn't carry on about it like I always do NOR did I reward myself with gifts. I have to go back for the one on the other side on Monday. That might earn me a pedicure but still no stuff gifts. 

2. I loathe how shitty photos get (see above) as planned obsolescence occurs in phones. I've got the 11Pro coming my way and I can't wait.

3. We've reached the time of year where I look washed out AF and contemplate bronzer that I keep long after its expiration date for just such times but ultimately decide to skip all face makeup as always and just look like a ghost of myself until about April. Cheers.

4. It's wrong to eat condiments like they are the actual meal, right?

5. If you're looking to kick the ziploc bag habit but don't want to put out a lot of cash for Stasher bags, check out  Qinline bags. They work great, are easy to clean, much cheaper than the Stasher bags and I actually like them better.

6. The other night in an Instagram story I asked people for their favorite dips and seriously I've been salivating since. Bitches love delicious and easy dips and I love them for it. I am going to go on a dip odyssey this year and make the ones that sound good to me and share them all. I'm starting with chive mascarpone bacon dip and a new jumbo lump crab dip in the crock versus how I usually do it in the oven. The Year of Dip. Get ready. Considering a Dip Birthday party for myself. A dip birthday party...what a wonderful world. 

7. My circadian rhythms are off. I get into bed by 10 and am up until 1. I need to reset.

8. For your consideration: these words from Aja Barber or from ShiShi Rose on why I have not and will not be sharing any OpEds on anything in Kobe Bryant's past written by white women, especially not when Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Brett Kavanaugh, donald trump, and others are out there in celebrityville and about a million Brock Turners, Judges letting Brock Turners go, and white men making laws that hurt women’s autonomy and place women in peril daily are under our noses, traveling somewhere on our circles, sitting at our barbecues unchallenged. We need to get after our own, white ladies, before we say a damn thing about anyone else's. File under know better, do better: I would have written reams about this in the past, waving a big feminist flag. You know who else waves that flag? Black women who have typically had their voices and words drowned out by white women. No, our voice is not needed on Kobe Bryant’s hotel incident from 2003. Better make sure our house is clean before we run a finger across the top of a picture frame in someone else’s. 

9. Reminder: via Women in Illustration

10. Ecards: da da da da daaaaaa da da da da da da da dadadaaaaaaaaa

Hasta la vista, baby. I said that in a Tone Loc voice. 

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Long Walk Home by Bruce Springsteen

Thursday Thoughts - and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day

1. One of my favorite views in the city from Monday's walk to the library. Of course I prefer when there's water in the fountains, but it's still beautiful without.

2. Other city scenes from the week: don't call the Vatican, those are not photographic evidence of windows to heaven in the sky, they're a reflection of the office lights in the window.

3. I had to go to the dentist on Tuesday, which longtime readers know is my major fear and loathing visit. The words "I don't need a lecture on flossing" were out of my mouth like I was a 16 year old with an attitude before I even knew what was happening. My dentist laughed because she is awesome and accepting of my neurotic feelings about her profession. I was rewarded with a follow up appointment next Friday to repair some fillings. Kill me.

4. I continue to be easily tired, which I was told to expect for quite a few weeks recovering from walking pneumonia. That means most nights are spent sitting on my ass regardless of how much there is to do. I walk every day at lunch to get fresh air which I think helps but also tired me out early.

5. Except last night. Last night I got my hair done by the fabulous Kristi, went to Target and found bare food shelves, and put some things away before sitting my ass down at 10:20 to finish the above book and wasting an hour reading about enneagrams. 

6. I did not think Gus would still be with us at this point and have taken to calling him the Crypt Keeper. He can't really hear well so he doesn't care. He also lets me carry him around facing forward like King Tut on a throne.

7. Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice. Blessings to you.

8. I know many of you listen to Christmas music 24/7 from like Thanksgiving on, but I don't like Christmas music enough for 1/30th of that listening. Aside from Last Christmas and Fairytale of New York, I don't listen to Christmas Music outside of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with a dash of it the weekend before (specific playlists, not willy nilly whatever comes on the station). So my personal Christmas Music Season is nearly upon us.

9.  Reminder: As we come up upon a new year, consider...

10. E-card of the week: ho ho ho mofos

That’s all for today.

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Fairytale of New York by The Pogues

Thursday Thoughts - what happened to April?

1. Tuesday morning I stepped into the elevator with a woman. I was digging around in my purse for my office key when I caught the tail end of, "wkjrojf smells so good." I said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?" She said, "Your coffee smells so good. I think it's your coffee. Unless you're wearing cologne that smells like coffee." Say what now? She was totally serious. I think it's the coffee, ma'am. Have a nice day now.

2. It's all fun and games until someone trips over the dog bowl and nearly breaks their face, which is a daily occurrence in our house. I don't know which ahole dog is trying to kill us or if they're all conspiring or what.

3. One week until my dentist appointment. Welcome to my personal march of doom countdown. Sit down! Relax. Enjoy. But don't google march of doom countdown. Weird things come up.

4. Is it Ellen who always wears sneakers with everything? That's going to be me soon. I have a real problem with athleisure shoes and sneakers at this time. I need to stop buying them.

5. Grumpy old men: pug edition.

6. Now that I'm at the shore most weekends, Wednesday night is sort of my hausfrau night. Last night I did some freezer cooking (finished up the breakfast burritos I started this weekend and made power breakfast muffins), changed the sheets and towels and did laundry. I've gone back to my pinterest love affair to figure my way out of this food rut and I don't care who knows. I'm in the process of laying waste to many of my boards on there, deleting a shit ton of things. So expect some revived weekly food prep around these parts. I hope.

7. The NFL draft is in Philly starting today. My walk to the library yesterday was not as pleasing as it normally is. People were in a hot rage over there, yelling at each other, cursing the construction on the Parkway near the draft, beeping. But the fountains are back on so it was a good day in my world. Except for the part where some angry woman gunned it through a stop sign crossing 19th Street and almost ran me over yesterday. She didn't care even a little bit.

8. If one goddamn program that helps citizens of this country is cut while that fucking bound to be ineffectual border wall gets funded and Cheeto Jesus's weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago and housing of his wife and child in New York at the expense of the taxpayers continue unchallenged and unabated, my head is going to spin off.

9. I feel a real need to fit in a quick trip to some Utah National Parks and the Grand Canyon because I don't know how this administration is going to attempt to fuck with federally protected lands. This executive order to review and remove protection from National Monuments so they can be drilled for oil and bullshit was one of my biggest fears from a Cheeto Jesus victory. This makes me sick to my stomach. Have these people never BEEN to the National Parks and Monuments great presidents had the foresight to protect under federal law throughout our history? So that we may see something as untouched as it's been for many years? No president has ever rolled back anything under protection of the Antiquities Act. This is fucking absurd at this point. So the rich get richer and all of our public land starts to look like the poor districts of the Hunger Games, abused and tapped out. Doesn't the president have anything more important to do, like fix the infrastructure and bring in bigly jobs like he promised? Why is he leaving those campaign promises until last and acting on the ones that benefit his businesses first? So weird, right? Crazy. It must be a coincidence.

10. E-card of the week: Tomorrow is National Super Hero Day (really). This one's for you golden gods:

You are the true heroes of the Internet. 

Linking up with Kristin & Joey 

3rd Annual Day of Awareness for Eye Protection at the Dentist

Happy Friday friends! 

Today is the 3rd Annual Day of Awareness for Eye Protection at the Dentist. I hope you remember previous mentions of this because it's important and I don't want you to lose sight in one eye because you didn't wear eye protection at the dentist. 

Please take a pic of yourself/your peeps in sunglasses and share it on social media today using the hashtag #JennsVision. You can also post your photo on the Jenn's Vision Page. That's it! Just raise awareness so this doesn't happen to anyone else. 

For those of you in the Philly area, Jenn will be on a segment on CBS Philly with Stephanie Stahl tonight at 11 p.m. It will also air several times over the weekend. 

From Jenn's page:

On July 8, 2013 Jenn became blind in one eye after a Dental needle fell into it! Eye protection was not given to wear...this was 100% preventable! In an effort to not have history repeat itself this campaign was started to raise awareness of this issue...it was not the 1st time this happened and unfortunately not the last. Take a selfie and share on social media with the hastag #JennsVision on July 8th! Be part of the solution.

EYE SMART TIPS at the DENTIST: 

Every person in the examination room during a procedure should wear protective eye-wear. This means goggles or safety glasses for patients.

OSHA requires that the eye-wear be impact resistant, ANSI certified, and comply with American National Standard Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection.

Protect your eyes.

Jenn's Vision and the #JennsVisionSunglassSelfie is a Safety Campaign to educate and promote awareness of eye protection at the dentist office. Sunglasses are better than NO protection BUT Always, check with your dentist first and ask for impact resistant, ANSI certified eye wear protection.

Have a great weekend!

*comments closed, hope to see your pics on Instagram/Twitter today!*