snippets of the weekend 7.17.2023

Summer scummer bum around weekend, second in a row

Waited for our plumber to come and fix the outdoor shower leaks then got the fuck out of the shore Friday at noon because the vibe from the two week renters who had been in for a week was totally off. MFD stayed to fish. At home I puttered around, made spaghetti with veggie meat sauce I had in the freezer, watched the Wham! documentary on Netflix, and then The Outlaws. Passable to zone out to but not an award winner. Wham! was great. I listened to them all weekend, including through the ill-fated attempt to assemble an IKEA Billy bookcase that was literally crumbling before assembly. I got grocery delivery through Weiss via Amazon and it was awful - do not do it, local friends. All produce was turned or about to and the half and half was expired. 

Saturday and Sunday cat visits at Aubrey & Stephen's. I found a new to me pedicure place right up the street from my house. Painted my nails at home. Got flowers from Produce Junction. Made wings in the air fryer. Read two books. Hung with my dogs - Ben in his replacement bed that is way too large because I am not gifted in eyeballing things especially when ordering online LOL

weekending reels on Instagram - current favorite weekend look back mode.

TWTW - first in April 2022

Friday was a wow day at work, and that's an oh shit wow not a great! wow. I was sick of the wind all week, so no beach. Instead I took to the kitchen throwing shit in a pot and mixing like a mad scientist, which we ate all weekend - ground chicken, half a bag of coleslaw, half a bag of broccoli slaw, baby corn, water chestnuts, soy sauce, sesame sauce, garlic, green onions, eggs scrambled in same pot, topped with some cooked ramen and mixed. After that I worked more until 7:40, then put my zit creams on and lay on the couch to read half of a book, where I fell asleep with all the lights on and left them like that until 6 am. 

Saturday After an early dog walk, I lay back down to finish the book. Up to shower, eat breakfast, and putz around. MFD and Billy cat arrived around 12:30. We took Bruce & Ben to the beach for a long walk and crept on other people's flowers. A relaxing night with leftovers and I read another book.

Sunday was the most balanced day I've had in a while, where I felt things that needed to get done got done, there was relaxing and rest, and there was enjoyment and they were all in equal parts, which is hard to get right. I think I could get it right more often if the work week wasn't five days. Who's with me? 

We did a little relaxing in the morning and afternoon. 

Relaxing was broken up by some solid hours working in the house to ready it for spring personal guests, which means pulling all under bed storage out and inventorying, sorting, organizing, purging, moving, cleaning, restocking, list making, and all that jazz. Lots of work to do before paying guests start to come but a really good start. 

I zipped through a book and painted my nails (China Glaze Planted & Enchanted and OPI Princesses Rule!, the China Glaze color is beautiful), had a salad for lunch, MFD got a massage, we relaxed and watched old episodes of The Office, then we took all the dogs up to Corson's Inlet for a very brisk walk. Damn winds. I started another book at night as MFD was watching historical documentaries on YouTube. No thank you.

Happy Monday!

Thursday Thoughts - Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels

1. Shit MFD has done this week: Taken Mae into Wawa. Bought king size Twizzlers for a road trip like we'll be traveling in the Willy Wonka mobile. Put ketchup on his hotdog...you are with someone for 19 years, you think you know them, then one Tuesday night they calmly put ketchup on their hotdog and you are questioning a lot of things. MUSTARD ONLY! Mustard only. Our friend group is fiercely divided. Which side are you on?

2. Sunsets have been meh this summer - like around 6 there seems to be a layer of cloud that takes up residence closer to the horizon and the sunset is washed out or a lack of clouds anywhere in the sky which to me leads to the least interesting sunrises and sunsets. Tuesday night's was amazing though.

3. I crammed a desk and desk chair into our tiny shore apartment because my body could not take working from the couch anymore. Bruce, who normally sits on top of the couch cushions (see last photo), has used this time to explore a future in nude modeling for dogs. 

4. Speaking of work, two things: a) yesterday was my 13th anniversary with my company and b) I have no external deadlines this week for the first time in quite a while so I've been a whole ass person, easing into my mornings, taking lunch breaks, and doing things at night that involve logging off at 5. Like going to the beach and seeing sunsets and creeping on other people's flowers. 

5. In case you've not spoken with me face to face, I sound like this:

6. I'm down with my body, my choice being applied across the spectrum. If you don't want to get a vaccine, don't get one. You don't want to wear a mask, don't. I'm also down with unvaccinated and unmasked by choice people not being allowed entry into restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, stores, schools, work places. There's something going around the internet this week that explains it well, and I'm paraphrasing here but it's basically this: Being denied service or entry for something you can change is called a rule, which is a standard that goes against your sense of convenience. Example: no shirt, no shoes, no service; jacket or collar required in restaurant; must wear shoes in a factory. Being denied service or entry for something you cannot change is called prejudice, which is a standard that goes against your humanity. Example: being Black, gay, having a disability. The latter is a violation of your rights. The former is not. Don't get your poor choices twisted. 

7. Believe women even when the politician going down for being a gross sexual harasser is on your own side of the aisle. Andrew Cuomo must resign immediately and fuck off out of here. He does not belong in a position of power anywhere. 

8.Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. I've been surfing a swell of meh books. I hope that's not the same for you.

9. Reminder:

10. Ecards: 

A mini one, but still. What's new with you?

Happy birthday to my college roommate Jody!

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to or most recently heard when I'm starting this - this week is Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell while listening to Ina Garten's Road Trip playlist

TWTW - the last one in February

Friday I did a trip to Trader Joe's in the afternoon, which did you even go to Trader Joe's if you didn't get the flowers on the cheap, and worked late while MFD made dinner. I don't get to TJ more than a few times a year - I really like some things but otherwise am not a super fan which I think is verboten on the internet - but I always leave with flowers because they're beautiful and not that expensive. Our nephews were with us overnight while their mom was working so that was nice to spend time together. I also painted my nails (OPI Puerto Vallarta Violeta with two OPI Outback Aphrodisiac accent nails). Excitement abounds. 

Saturday I got an in person visit from Beth! And awesome birthday earrings! I also left the house for the second day in a row! I dropped an Amazon return off. It ended up being quite nice by afternoon for a late winter Saturday. I also did a picky cheese lunch, listed stuff to sell on Poshmark, put laundry away, did some cleaning, made dinner (Trader Joe's spatchcock chicken and broccoli and cauliflower saute), finished a book, and we watched Judy.

Dogs want in on this.

Sunday I got up early to let the dogs out and feed them, then went back to sleep. I purged some jewelry, shoes, makeup, furniture, and moved a bench from a spare room into our room. We’re making some changes to the upstairs so lots of work to do. I threw a load of towels in, then made the drive back to the shore with B&B in absolutely miserable weather. Whenever I get in my car my maps want me to go home to the shore. LOL

I unpacked, read a prose book, made cilantro lime chicken in the air fryer and had it over chopped salad with some tomatoes and tortilla chips, and started a new book. 

Birthday month in the house! Holllleeeerrrrr.

Friday Five 1.15.2021

1. We all need things to look forward to. Anticipating the arrival of pie crust cookies is mine right now. Pandemic winter survival tip one

2. I'm back on my weekly fresh flowers and candles lit every night bullshit. Pandemic winter survival tip two

3. The calls for unity and healing without accountability and a dismantling and reconfiguration of systems that bend to White Supremacy (uh, that would be all systems) are tone deaf. This country chose the wrong path post-Civil War, which led to Jim Crow. We are poised on another precipice. Unity and healing make things better for people who benefit from white supremacy - people who look like me. This is not the time to try and take the quick and easy way. True healing and unity require work and uncomfortable conversations and changes. 

4. I've been reading a lot of Netgalley books, but I have some books in for pickup at the library. For those of you who like Courtney Summers (she wrote Sadie, which I loved, and Some Girls Are, which was a brutal but good read) - she has a new book coming out on February 2 called The Project. The subject matter is cults, which is one of my favorites. I finished it last night. It was fine - I know that's not a ringing endorsement, but it held my attention...which is. The past month of reading feels more like me than I have since March 2020. It feels like being at home in myself. 

5. Walking into the weekend like it is salvation. I was able to stay on task every day this week for work, which is one of my main goals aside from hydration (hit that shit also this week) so I'm feeling like a rest is in order. 

I've also committed to try other blue light blocking glasses which I eventually bought from La Piazza which has sunglasses I want too (learn more), am planning to haggle a little on my car this weekend and looked through Craft Customs to get a description of the steering wheel look I had in my old car and want in my next, and perused some private chef experiences on Food Fire + Knives for post-Covid world plans.

Happy Friday!  

TWTW - the one of work and rest

Friday I saw MFD and the old dogs off early and did a 7-4 shift (I try to do 7-3 most Fridays I'm not on a deadline), then picked up laundry, got some necessities from the hardware store, and stayed up late finishing a book.  

Saturday Kim dropped off coffee for me before she headed out of town. It was so nice to spend time with her, Libby, and Steve last week, especially in the midst of this goddamn virus. I'm looking forward to seeing Debbie and Laura soon too. The guests leaving were great, they were literally a last minute booking as I had a cancellation on Wednesday and they booked that night. I love when things work out especially in the year of covid-19. I geared up in my cleaning clothes and did my thing - I've been doing projects or extra cleaning in the house around my cleaning crew coming because we lost so much of the spring so turnovers have been sweaty and exhausting. This week in addition to the normal shit I do with towels and bedding and attention to areas that need it, I cleaned out and reorganized the storage closet in the kitchen, swapped out the toaster and kitchen trash can, and swapped out the outdoor ottomans and cushions. I attempted to save the old outdoor ottomans but no dice. They're usable for my apartment but not guests. The outdoor cushions are a regular swap at certain points in the summer.  Anyway by the time I'm done turnovers this summer, I am like, fucking done. Especially when it is extremely hot like Saturday. I needed Gatorade, which I never drink. I got a shower, painted my nails and toes (OPI Lost My Bikini in Molokini and Significant Other Color on nails, Essie One Way For One on toes), and ordered dinner - enough food for Sunday too. 

At night I took a long walk with Bruce & Ben back by the bay - they are flower creepers too. It was Night in Venice weekend, which is jam packed and has huge catered parties all over. That was cancelled of course. I hope the businesses here can survive this year. 

Sunday Another humid AF day. I was at the beach from 9-11, and my hair was literally wet even though I did not go in the water. I enjoyed my coffee there, came home and lounged and read inside all the live long day (check out 28 Summers by Elin H) with no guilt for doing nothing or not going outside unless absolutely necessary. Around 8 I went up and got froyo for National Ice Cream Day (ish). Which is of course necessary.

It was my first weekend alone in quite a while, MFD usually comes back at some point but he's been busy with work so I'm solo for a while down here. How was your weekend? 

Thursday Thoughts - how the hell can a person go to work in the morning and come home in the evening and have nothing to say

1. Where are my people in relationships who have never in their lives together (almost 18 years for us) spent so much time together? I need a lot of alone time. I married a person who understood that. This has been a lot of togetherness for me to handle. By this time of the year I'm usually living on my own for 1-4 days a week every week at the shore. But we're still out here. Arguing about shit like when chores get done and where new perennials will be planted but still here. Same old same old.

2. Speaking of plants, those of you who want to get a jump on that, if you're doing local pickup at a farm market (like Lou's Farm Mart near me), see if they have any annuals or perennials to throw in your curbside order (there will be a tulip and two geraniums in mine this afternoon). If you're in the Philly-ish area, try bloombox.com. They just re-stocked yesterday. I ordered perennials from there last year. They have mulch and soil too...not our color mulch and add "switching mulch color" to the things we've argued about this week. Anyhoo stores are adapting to curbside very quickly which enables us to limit our exposure as well as the exposure of people working in stores.

3. Monday was our third household member Vincent's birthday. I made a strawberry peanut butter pie with a pretzel crust. Thanks to my friend Alyssa for the recipe, all of which I actually had in the pantry, freezer, or fridge.

4. I'm super grateful my people are makers. Thanks to Lori and Beth for the masks for distribution among my household and my fam. I saw my dad who picked up masks yesterday and my mom who is picking up today.

5. Speaking of masks, this made me roar. Also this virus can go fuck itself

6. Tuesday is Show Us Your Books with me & Jana. I feel like some have been reading overtime and some stunned into not reading (me in this second category). See you here for that Tuesday.

7. Happy Passover. Happy Easter. I know holidays look different this spring for all of us. Sending you love.

8. I think we missed an opportunity to have progressive policies front and center in this country by ending up with the most centrist candidate. While I'll be voting for the democratic nominee, I will not stop pushing for policies that benefit ALL PEOPLE over corporations and movements that include everyone and smash racist, misogynist, classist, homophobic/transphobic systems in this country. Ever. Justice for all means all PEOPLE. Fuck off if you think it means something else or that corporations come first.

9. Reminder: Things are difficult. Feel your feelings - recognize it, name it. Sit with it. Then let it go. Ignoring feelings doesn't make them go away or make it easier to live through hard things.

10. E-cards...just kidding, I'd never waste a cadbury creme egg.

The words following the hyphen are the song I am listening to when I start the Thursday Thoughts post. This week is Angel From Montgomery by John Prine. One of our best storytellers. RIP.

Thursday Thoughts - ice ice baby

1.  If the weather was a person I'd kick it in the crotch. It flurried on Tuesday and was cold AF. There's still a winter under bite in the air. The flowers are blooming at least and I hold out hope that this morning I grabbed a top heavy fleece. As a beach adopter, I have to do a beach clean up for Earth Day from 9-noon on Saturday. Anyone want to join me? You can sleep in the bedroom where I'm not painting furniture or just come troll around for the day. Bring layers. Seriously though it should be 55 with light winds.

2. When I work from home, I like to eat dinner at 4 pm. I'm going to be the best senior citizen ever.

3. My boy dogs have no work from home chill. They want pets all the time. Mae knows it's work time and leaves me alone. 

4. Mostly because she spends the days hiding under blankets.

5. I got a wild hair up my ass Tuesday night and made a million things, the biggest of all being a complete mess of the kitchen.

6. I ended up with two pots of pasta e fagioli, brown rice to use in a made up chicken and broccoli casserole that I threw some bacon and chicken gravy into (cleaning out that pantry) and to freeze. Monday night I made bread and a vat of iced coffee. Last night a vat of sweet tea. I did not read a page of a book Monday through Wednesday so I had to occupy my time in some way.

7. I actually saw white people complaining that this is out of hand because Starbucks is closing for a few hours on May 29 for racial bias training. Oh, it's out of hand alright, but not because Starbucks is doing a racial bias training. You guys...you know no one is forcing Starbucks to do that, right? It is a choice they made as a company, what they think the right response is. They are doing it because there is an obvious need among their staff because they know no one sitting in their cafes needs to make a purchase, despite how many people on the Internet are insisting you can't sit in a business without making a purchase. Well, you can in Starbucks, that's pretty much their model and it doesn’t matter if you personally agree or not, the fact here is that there’s no way in hell that employee would have called the cops if those guys were white and Starbucks corporate knows that so this is what they’re doing about it. The direction the company is taking is called working towards a solution instead of acting like a problem doesn't exist. We’d each do well to examine our bias and ask ourselves if there are situations where we might not say or do something overtly racist but still feel something racist or anti-black inside. But if you're looking for some alternatives in Philly coffee-wise, check these out.

8. Between the multiple international news racist incidents of the past week, the Syria bombings, the Michael Cohen shit, I am just so fucking tired of all of it. Life feels punishing under the trump regime. I’m still calling my Congress people, writing my post cards, and using ResistBot, but I’m drained.

9. Reminder: This. You know I like it because I'm sharing it when its should be it's

10. E-card of the week:

And a happy happy birthday to the always fabulous and funny and newly engaged cousin Gail. Xoxo