Thursday Thoughts - good night and joy be with you all

1. Happy St. Paddy's Day. You are a fucking delight and the pot of gold is inside yourself. Roasted corned beef on deck for today. 

2. I miss celebrating my birthday with my Grandmom - mine was Tuesday and hers today - we would alternate picking restaurants to go to and she always had corned beef for St. Paddy's Day. Hers was the best. 

3. I did much of nothing on my birthday, which was the plan. I had spent the weekend in reflective mode, which is typical for birthday time. MFD waited on me hand and foot, I read a whole book, unboxed my new homemade quilt made by Lori, had my favorite pepperoni & provolone bagel for breakfast, went on a long walk, spent a lot of time outside, was at the beach twice, took an afternoon nap, had a nice dinner out, and caught the tail end of a nice sunset. And of course I took the day off of work. Things of course went not according to plan also because this is real life - our street was dug up right outside my window at 7 am so no sleeping in, the restaurant I wanted to go to was not open Tuesday - but it was a good day and I am still here to age when so many people are not. This is 45 and it is damn good to be here. I wrote a bunch of phone notes that never transferred to a blog post but this is my instagram birthday caption where I try to collect my thoughts from the day. 

4. The electric work I had done in the main shore house was $300 over estimate because previous owners had cut corners. Use junction boxes, kids! I have three remaining that have not been replaced and now I'm moving that to the top of the list. Here are some of the new ones. I really love the hallway ones. Not pictured is a soft pink one for the small bath. I have a cheapie in the powder room, and need to repair the ceiling around it and put my preferred lightbulbs in all of them. All the interior door hinges and knobs are being switched out to black in May. The lights were those hideous boob lights and I'm glad they're gone. Just three more to go.

5. I am convinced that 99% of people who design sun hats have never sat on the beach all day in the slightest wind and absolutely never put their creation on with a pair of large sunglasses. Despite this belief, I continue to search high and low for one that I can lean my head back in, that won't fall off if you whisper at it, can be worn with large sunglasses, provides facial coverage from the sun but doesn't have an enormously ridiculous brim so I can't see a fucking thing, and doesn't give me a headache after 30 minutes. The first test of the season is on its way to me. 

6. We tried Crumbl cookies last week. They were fine? We got all six flavors for the week and I only loved one. The chocolate chip is straight trash, I stand by this statement. I need to get off the Sugar Dragon's back things are bad right now. My mom just loaded us up with Easter candy too. We are eating it all like fat asses then going straight to vegetables and fruit. Contact me for all of your nutrition needs. 

7. A good week on the beach, all days. 

8. The world is heavy to live in. Help people however you can, and accept help yourself when it is offered. 

9. Reminder via thepaperfern: I saw this just when I needed to, which happens a lot. This quote from Glennon Doyle is important - we focus so much on happiness that when I feel other sorts of ways, I am annoyed at myself. Like pissed off when my feelings are hurt which is...no. All of these things are a part of being human - we don't exist only in situations that feel good. Disappointment is the hardest thing to swallow, isn't it? 

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 The Parting Glass, this version is The Dubliners

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

Thursday Thoughts - waiting, waiting on a sunny day...gonna chase the clouds away

1. I bought a cotton sweater from the Gap for spring and I'm pretty sure I owned the exact one in a different color in 1992. I wish I saved my original JCrew rollneck cotton sweaters also, hell any 100% cotton sweater. They are the only ones I want to wear. 

2. Other birthday month behavior this week includes making a list of things I want to do, and assembling all of my hoarded gift cards so I can begin to place orders. Sephora down so far.

3. Billy thinks Ben is is best friend, but Ben is like Bill, I already have a best friend. You don't like him that much.

4. Does this sound nonsensical yet? I can't tell. I am high on hours worked, low on hours slept, and quite short on patience. Never a good combination. I can't keep up with everything this week and I felt that on Monday so I never tried. 

5. Last night on the beach felt like spring and I felt like crying in relief. This winter has felt both short and long.  The first set of pics is the photo I was going for and the two I got by accident LOL

6. I admire the Ukrainian people so much. This is where we see heroes, but we must not let that romanticize war in our minds. There's no fucking way anywhere should be at war in 2022. Anywhere. Regardless of the dominant skin color or religion of the region or the economic interest world super powers like the United States hold within. There is also no fucking way authoritarianism and fascism should be creeping up everywhere including and especially within the United States where we have made sure to destroy public ed to the point where people cannot even recognize authoritarianism and fascism when they see it. I am sick of the goddamn doublespeak in this country. You cannot salute WWII vets and also support people attempting to overthrow elections on a false premise. Get it the fuck together. The bombing of the Holocaust Memorial at Babyn Yar this week was just. I don't even know what to say. There is so much going on out there right now and it is hard to process in a 24/7 news cycle. Don't assume someone doesn't care because they're not speaking about it using avenues you have access to. Life goes on through everything, and so does joy and other emotions that don't match dire situations happening elsewhere. It always has, or we would not still be here. 

7. The State of the Union was fine. Joe is not the one, but I appreciate his leadership on the world stage right now. While I don't exactly jive with either of them, I appreciate the historic scene behind the President with women in both seats for the first time in the history of this country. If you don't think that matters, fuck off, I'm not the one. The photo to the right is reporters interviewing Boebert and Greene after the speech. 

8. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. 

9. Reminder via 

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 Waitin' on a Sunny Day by Bruce Springsteen

Thursday Thoughts - But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime

1. This world right now. What insane and unnecessary pain and suffering mediocre white men have brought upon all of us throughout time. Russia's invasion of the peaceful country and people of Ukraine is fucking insane at any time, especially in 2022. We know, well, by now what havoc imperialism wreaks. The disastrous consequences of unchecked mediocre white man ego, too. On a whim this fucking guy nixes a binding international agreement to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine. For fucking what. All the good thoughts to the people of Ukraine. And to all of us, as the consequences of invasions like this are not contained inside land borders humans made. They have real global impacts: refugees, humanitarian assistance, economies, military, cyber attacks, misinformation, nuclear bullshit, propaganda, etc. We are the world, being served shit stew by an egomaniac trump and Tucker Fox News worship. MEDIOCRE WHITE MEN. What a time to be alive.

Speaking of disastrous consequences of unchecked mediocre white man ego...Why would you attempt to criminalize trans or gay people? Why does anyone vote for a party that pushes legislation forward like the Don't Say Gay bill in Florida or policy, albeit not backed up by law, like Greg Abbott's in Texas? It all connects. Donating to candidates in this party and supporting this party in any way is an unspoken agreement to let agendas like this prosper. Look, the democrats aren't doing fucking shit on the whole right now aside from talking and I'm not happy with them. The actions by republicans in power to put people - freaking kids - in unnecessary and egregious danger is just...no. Support trans people in TX and everywhere. Support gay people in FL and everywhere.  National Center for Transgender Equality Texas Action Center.

So, mood.

2. Cold again, jiggity jig. It was nice to experience a windows open day yesterday. Even Billy Hicks scored some outside time. I'm looking forward to that being the norm. I know winter is not finished, but I am officially finished with it. Birthday month is loading.

3. I've been in Philly much of the week, and I always feel like days are lather, rinse, repeat here. I am not outside walking as much up here and I'm always waiting to go back to the shore. Things I did do this week: return some shit to Nordstrom Rack, schedule some work at the shore in my small bathroom, scheduled my spring shore pest control, ordered light fixtures for two of the baths and the hallway, and pulled some clothes to donate. Things I still did not do: decide on light fixtures or peel & stick for the big shore bath. This is my iridescent pink HomeGoods happy:

4. The dogs haven't minded being home at all. My Dad and Carol made settlement on their new house last week but are back for Dad's cataract surgery this week. 

5. I had a questionable work day Monday and on Tuesday one of those brain draining/head hurting/what is the point ones reminiscent of April 2020 where it feels like the world is pressing in around you. Yesterday was much better thank god. Today is poised to be busy as hell, which Thursdays always are. 

6. Whipped up a quick veggie meat sauce with zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and ground sausage to have with pasta  last night. Carol made meatloaf Tuesday that was awesome. 

7. Aside from the weather being mostly rainy this week at the shore, I wanted to give our apartment counter time to set so I was better off not on the premises. I painted it Sunday and Monday with a leftover paint kit. This weekend I need to restore order there and in the house upstairs, and finally paper the ceiling in the powder room. Which I need a ladder for. 

8. We got in a pretty nice walk on Monday before we took off. 

9. Reminder via Breeze Studio

10. Ecards - an oldie but a goodie

Happy happy birthday to Natalia and Mrs. G today!

Hang in there everyone.

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is In a Big Country by Big Country (LOL)

Thursday Thoughts - I think about the implication of diving in too deep

1. I had a shit day on Tuesday. Riding the Sugar Dragon straight to hell on the fumes of Super Bowl leftovers felt good in the moment and gave me a stunning headache after. 

2. It didn't help that it was still wicked cold, the beach was super flat, and dogs were still tired from our Monday long walk in the cold. What a nice treat to get an impromptu visit from Beth and G and Lulu Monday. 

3. MFD went home Tuesday night, taking Bruce, Mae, and Billy cat. I kept Ben with me and he would definitely thrive as an only dog. Which I get, after coming from a hoarder house having to fight for food and attention. The only thing he wants is another dog near him when he eats so he can be Mr. Teeth. Bruce on the other hand was very upset to be sent home.

Wednesday was warm and beautiful and made me long for spring. Someone was already out walking in bare feet. Not too long now. I don't wait long on doing that. 

4. I love treasure hunting, but the best is when you go to the beach just for a quick 15 or 20 minute walk and come across some things just lying there you have to put in your pocket. These are Wednesday's, still sandy, and Monday's unexpected glass haul. I should really paint this counter this weekend.

5. This is the new piece of furniture we wrestled with last weekend set up as a work station. I actually put another ceramic utensil holder under the monitor to put that up more too. It works for the few days a week I'll need it in the summer. I'll put a little light in there too in the back. The countertop paint mentioned above is in that brown paper bag waiting, waiting LOL

6. I love when I catch sun or light like this. In my computer monitor before shutting down for the day, me crouching like a creep to get it.

7. I fought the long arm of Wells Fargo Corporate Facilities this week and sort of won? They installed new lighting to adhere to some NJ statute. It is like living next to a fucking football stadium. They dimmed the lights and angled them down but I still need blackout shades. Who has recommendations that won't kill my wallet? These photos were all taken before they did anything.

8. Change of scenery for a few days, and that meant dinner last night with Jen & Kelly! It's been over two years. I've been friends with Jen for over 40 years and Kelly like 32? 35? It's always like no time has gone by at all. We went to Las Margaritas & it was good. 

9. Reminder via byhappyal

10. This made me LOL

TGIAF! Windows open, lunch with a coworker, niece's play tonight. Wrestling with making it back to the shore for an appointment early.

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Overkill by Men at Work - love this acoustic version the most