TWTW - splitskies

Friday My September weekend warrior regulars were coming in so I was up in the house early doing the final things. They arrived early so we chatted for a little before I retreated for the Friday working. I finished a book at night and started another. And laughed loud and long by myself at Ben's teeth.

Saturday I was exhausted so I spend much of the morning just sitting and reading and letting that happen without guilt. I eventually got up and cleaned like moved furniture cleaned while I was waiting for a bed frame to arrive. When it did, I drug it inside then headed back to Philly. MFD got sushi for dinner and I went to Sam's to get king bed pillows the app told me they had in store but actually did not have - what they did have was Christmas shit and it is not even September 15. That is a HARD no. Do people know rushing through the rest of this year is not going to make things any better? We watched Social Dilemma on Netflix. Recommend, from a person who watches mostly nothing. I passed out on the couch hard. 

Sunday Up around 5 to do the freaking laundry. I did seven loads of laundry between Saturday at 6p and Sunday at 9a. I showered and went to Target to pick up an order but ended up having to go in and get the rest of my storage items and of course some other shit.

Carol, Aubrey, and I went up to my aunt & uncle's for my cousin's bridal shower. Outdoor and safe; a great shower with lovely touches.

I packed up my car and two of the dogs and was back at the shore by 5. MFD arrived closer to 10 and we made a bed frame switch and did the cleaning underneath the bed and all that then. Inadvisable. Lots more happening upstairs in the house today, he'll take care of most and I'll help during lunch and after work. Then at some point I need to organize all the stuff in the storage bins. 

And yours?

How to deal with an injury on holiday

An injury is the fastest way to ruin a great holiday and if you are seriously injured in a country that you aren’t familiar with, it can be very scary. You don’t know what the healthcare system is like, you’re wondering how you’re going to get home, and you don’t always have your family and friends there to support you. But as long as you know how to deal with the situation in the right way, you can get home as quickly as possible and start your recovery. If you are planning a holiday in the near future, it’s important that you have an action plan in case of injury. Here’s what you should do if you get injured on holiday. 

Via

Contact Your Insurance Company 

Travel insurance is so important because it will protect you in the event of an injury and help you avoid some hefty medical bills. Unfortunately, a lot of people neglect travel insurance because they don’t think they will need it. It’s rare that you will get injured on holiday but it can happen and if you don’t have insurance, you’ll find yourself in a very difficult position. So, make sure that insurance is on your pre-travel checklist and you get a comprehensive policy that covers all of your medical expenses. If you do get injured, you need to call up your insurance company right away and let them know, so you can make sure that you don’t get landed with a huge bill. 

Report The Incident 

There are a few reasons why it’s important to report the incident at the location where it happened. Firstly, it stops other people from getting injured in the same way. For example, if you slipped over in a hotel lobby and injured yourself, you should let the manager know so they can make the area safe for others. The other reason that it’s important is that it leaves a paper trail. You may decide that you want to hire an exceptionally skilled injury lawyer and make a personal injury claim if you believe that the injury was somebody else’s fault. In that case, you need to gather evidence and you will need a formal record of the injury. 

Organize Travel Home 

Once you are out of the hospital and you are starting to make a recovery, you need to organize travel home. When you take out an insurance policy, you should always check that they will cover your flight home in the event of an injury. The sooner you let your insurance company know about the situation, the sooner they can get you back home again. 

See Your Doctor At Home 

Even though you received treatment while you were away, it’s important that you see your GP when you get back, especially if it was a serious injury. The quality of healthcare varies in different countries and you may not get the treatment that you need, so it’s important that you seek medical advice when you get home as well. 

Nobody expects to get injured on holiday until it happens, which is why you need to be prepared and follow these steps if the worst does happen. 

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this post was written with the Life According to Steph audience in mind

Thursday Thoughts - Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

1. Today is my first day working since last Thursday. I had awesome days off, some you heard about in TWTW. Tuesday was sunny and hot and I ran to Target to check out organizational options. If you have a house with no storage and need to utilize all spaces, you might need the zinus 18 inch bed frame. You can get a whole damn tote under here. Tuesday MFD was working, but we went to Corson's Inlet followed by 59th Street. Inlet beach and ocean beach. I always prefer the ocean beach. 

2. Good eats this week: we ordered Island Grill Tuesday night and brussels sprouts pizza from the farmers market.

3. Wednesday was not a beach day, but it was a farmers market, timed to coincide with needing your second cup of coffee because you ran out of your home brew; drop off laundry, go BACK to Target for more storage bins now that you know the size, finish a book, take a nap, order a king mattress and bed frame, reorganize your bedding, make lists type of day.

4. And look at dog photos from the week since the Old Dogs went back to Philly Wednesday morning and you miss them already.

5. And paint your raggedy ass nails. Lots of swimming in the ocean is not kind to nail polish. This is LD by Olive and June.

6. It was also a day for the best friend dogs to make their triumphant return to Dog Beach.

7. And a day to wonder what if the past week or so is finally what it will take for people who say they love this country to NOT vote for donald trump. You can't say never forget on September 11 - meaning never forget the nearly 3,000 lives lost, never forget how we came together as a country to stand as Americans -  and cast a vote for a man who considers military service members who died or were injured - many in service because of conflicts related to September 11 - losers and suckers. How did we come to a place 19 years later where an American president can say that and still run for re-election with loud support from citizens? Would Americans of the afternoon of September 11, 2001, support this man? I don't think so. Why would you do so now? 

8. He also admits downplaying the threat of coronavirus ON TAPE, choosing inaction and leaving us with nearly 190,000 Americans dead, including 7,000 on the front line in the medical field. Most of these deaths were preventable. Please think about how things connect. His inaction and the lack of coordinated federal response led to these deaths, as well as the death of a lot of businesses, job losses, kids not being in school in person, etc. Instead of doing what we know we can do as Americans - rise to the occasion and figure shit out, adapt and fund it - he chose inaction and suffering for the American people from death to financial losses to tremendous strain on parents and teachers as back to school realities hit everyone. Shit rolls downhill - if your president brushes it off, so does most of your population, leaving ALL of us caught in a spin cycle it feels like we're never going to get out of as countries around the world have all responded more effectively, doing what they needed to do early and decisively to save actual lives; and beyond that financially saving their people, propping them up individually and as businesses with more than the pittance funding these people in government have passed down, and moving forward much sooner than we are or can. 

9. Reminder that's more like advisory...also follow Buyfromablackwoman on Instagram

10. E-cards: I've had some incidents this week.

Two days of work this week. I think I can do this. 

The words following the hyphen are the song I am listening to when I start the Thursday Thoughts post. This week is Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime

TWTW - settle down because it's extra long

Friday I woke up with that glorious I have many days off ahead feeling. It cannot be captured in words. But my new mug from my niece and nephew does capture it perfectly. I got a pedicure (OPI Call Me Gwen Ever), then we hit the beach for a wonderful beach day. My dad arrived back around dinner, with Debbie pulling in shortly after, and Stephen and Aubrey made a great meal. 

Saturday MFD had arrived super late, so I woke up to him there. We got down to the beach around 10:30 and it was another great beach day with Frank, Amanda, and Eva joining us and a Hulk Hogan sighting. We left around 6, Dad and Carol got Boyar's and Bennie's for dinner, we watched the Flyers lose, and had A La Mode ice cream cake for MFD & Debbie's birthdays. 

Sunday The kids come down every morning to see the dogs and I love it. I also made Gus's special million dollar food and a big bowl of macaroni salad. My Dad and brother set up early at the beach and we had a good compound for a while with many later encroachers. Breakfast sandwiches from the Beach Club, Drew joined us, and it was another perfect beach day. 

Followed by The Driveway Party! In which we sat in the driveway with peoplThere was food and water balloon tosses and fights and billowing smoke and music and drinks and neighbors waving. Old school drive way party. Bring your own chair.

We had dogs wandering and escaping, decorations, Zingo and prizes by hurricane lantern light, roasted marshmallows with the cooling charcoal, and then cigars or face masks. It was a lot of fun. I can usually keep the kids out of photos but not this time LOL. 

Monday Crying time, everyone was packing up and going home. I woke up so exhausted I was basically stationary for a few hours. The dogs were tired too. I put together my SUYB post and stayed out of the cleaning and packing way. The kids were down to see the dogs. Dad and Aubrey hung blinds and Aubrey put together a bed frame that is giving me heart eye emoji storage in the house that I currently do not have. MFD fished most of the day, and I lay around reading and actually took a nap. We went to the North End for more fishing, reading, and sunset. 

As far as long weekends go, this one was pretty perfect. I had a great weekend with family and framily, and more than the long weekend with Dad and Carol, Stephen, Aubrey, and the kids. My heart is always full after and I'm always sad to see them go. 

How was yours? 

Show Us Your Books September 2020

Another month of reading gone, with so many books I meant to read unread, and so many new ones coming out this month that I'm dying to read. 

TWTW will be up tomorrow, I meant to do it last night but didn’t get to it. 

Here's what I've been reading since the last linkup. 

For those of you trying to expand your authors into Black or POC and not being aware of many outside of the nonfiction we're here to talk about race books, I'm going to note that in my origin of book going forward. 

Engrossing Reads

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson - I loved this book. As an adult reading this YA novel, I liked thinking about how we set up mentorships that maybe don't always give mentees what they actually want or need. This would be a good read for teachers and school counselors too. Written by a Black woman, purchased in person at the grand opening of Black woman owned bookstore (Harriett's Bookshop) via bookshop.org

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo - This was a great read that felt carefully crafted. Loved the title and the story line. Dominican-American writer, purchased paperback from Black woman owned bookstore (Harriett's Bookshop) via bookshop.org

Black Bottom Saints: A Novel by Alice Randall - I devoured this book in less than 12 hours. I loved it! Different and beautiful. Black author. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry - A little bit of everything made it more surface than a deep dive but very quick moving and readable. Quick moving and readable books, even those with plot holes, surface characters, and kitchen sink throw ins, rate higher for me in this Corona era than they ever have before or ever will again.  Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole - The pacing of this book is off, but when it turns on, it's on. It's been a while since I read a thriller where there's something so subtly sinister about every scene that you're not sure if you're imaging it or not. Cole did an excellent job with that. Black author, pre-ordered paperback from Black woman owned bookstore (Harriett's Bookshop) via bookshop.org

Passed the Time Just Fine

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown - This is my second Janelle Brown book. I liked it enough to keep reading her. Paperback from Cory via mail, mailed on to someone else,

The One by John Marrs - I'm pretty sure I heard of this in last month's SUYB. It was a quick and easy paperback read. Very interesting premise. Paperback, purchased from Amazon

Somewhere in the Dark by R.J. Jacobs - Jessie is a great character. The story was good but she makes the book. I pictured characters from Nashville the show while reading. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not Worth It

Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena - I didn't connect with this, but I can see how others would. This is YA but read young to me, and I don't do well with young-reading YA. Mexican-American author. Paperback, purchased from Amazon

Did Not Finish

n/a

What have you been reading? 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is the sixth anniversary of Show Us Your books on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. 

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