Gather ‘round the festivus pole

It's grievance day, MFers.

Happy Festivus, my friends! A Festivus for the rest of us!

I'm not going to go into how 2020 slid right into 2021 in the most incestuous and grotesque way (forever to be known as 202021), how people still have no idea or desire to to care for themselves or others, Joe Manchin and centrist democrats swapping spit with obstructionist republicans none of the above who give one good goddamn about the quality of people’s lives, Biden lying about student loan debt and other shit, gun violence, law and order people pooh pooping law and order when it is shit they don’t like, people still worshipping at the dumpy altar of trump and swimming in the white supremacist pool with doody floating among them like Baby Ruths, no one doing a fucking thing about the people who actually are the government and knew about plans to overthrow said government, Fox News and all the toxic sludge poisonous hypocritical shit emanating from there, the Supreme Court invalidating itself and precedent, the war on women, everyone who said Roe would never be overturned, or people who cannot connect rise in violence with lack of money, care, opportunity, and love injected into communities that need it most. See more serious things I'm avoiding in last year's annual Festivus post because it's the goddamn fucking same.

Now, come. Come gather. Gather 'round the aluminum pole and remember we’re attempting to keep the Airing of the Grievances here on this list petty as fuck this year. It can not be exhaustive since there are so many petty annoyances. 

-Unsubscribing and MFers don’t unsubscribe me 

-Reels. Instagram is not TikTok and should not be pushing people to feel pressure to make awkward shit in order to have their posts be seen 

-hair washing day

-the concept of dust returning over and over again like this is its home where it pays the mortgage and you are the foreign thing occupying space in it

-something stuck in my teeth

-Dr. Oz

-grudges. They’re lame and life is too short to waste energy on that shit

-having to repeat myself 

-Internet wellness gurus 

-adult zits, which are really fucking rude

-banging my head or running into something etc when I am already operating from a place of annoyance

-incessant dog licking 

-waiting. For anything. 

-repetitive noise and multi media

-drivers who ride in the left with no one in front of them and do not move over when someone comes up behind wanting to pass. MFers don’t control the speed! Someone wanting to go faster is not your business. Move it on over. 

-cracked lips 

-laughable and fake war on Christmas. Caring about  people only participating in cultural Christmas but not about people being unwelcome across borders or brown like Jesus or poor or sick like the people Jesus accepted, loved, and helped is a weird flex. It is quite easy to tell true Christians from judgmental people.

-when current me needs to fulfill the promises and prophesies of a previous, more hopeful, energetic, and ambitious me

-all the shit I’ve been sitting on mailing out to people 

-talk radio 

-constant spam calls

-thinking I replied to a text and I didn’t or did but did not press send

-being hot

-finding an error in a document I submitted

-drafts in the house 

-when I leave something on another floor and have to trudge back up the stairs 

- chipped nails

-dog farts

-interrupted sleep 

-keys sticking on my wireless keyboard 

-early dark

-feeling unprepared

-heartburn

-Flying too close to the sun on deadlines

-a year between seasons of shows

-pet names 

Now you go. 

Then Feats of Strength. Until you pin me, Festivus is not over. 

Blessed Solstice

Welcome winter! Happy Solstice, appreciation for the dark and cold and forward looking to more light every day after today. I’ve got my altar mostly set, the things I want to leave behind written down, and dinner going. 

How amazing is the book tree Carol made me? Early Christmas gift and I am thrilled.  It is perfect!!

A few sayings I like about this season that align with my feelings on it: 

“The Winter Solstice is the time of ending and beginning, a powerful time — a time to contemplate your immortality. A time to forgive, to be forgiven, and to make a fresh start. A time to awaken.” 

-Frederick Lenz

“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”

-Ruth Stout

Long winter beach walks coming. Wishing you a quiet, healthy season of restoration and reflection that fills what needs filling and clears what we needs clearing within you. 

TWTW - the one before Christmas

Friday It was like 62 degrees on Friday. Amazing. I picked up some Johnson's popcorn gifts and a Bungalow Bowl and worked the morning at the shore, driving back to Philly at lunch to close out the work day. I ran over to see my nephew for his fourth birthday at night. 

Saturday I was at HomeGoods before 8 am in the clothes I wore the day before. My Christmas pipe dream is extended hours at HomeGoods all the time. I got a shit ton of pantry organizers, did the organizing, and packed up the rest to return. I dropped stuff off at the Pack & Ship and picked up food for Mae. I painted my nails ( OPI I'm Really an Actress). I had my first appointment in Kristi & Maria's new salon, Salon Harmony in Langhorne. I love it and am thrilled for them. Such a relaxed, nice hair experience and of course always love catching up with my long long time friend (and long time hair stylist) Kristi and Maria. After that I returned the unused organizers to Marshalls and had family Christmas at Mom & Rich's. It was a nice relaxed evening and I brought home my cookies!

Sunday I was at Giant early, made veggie soup and macaroni salad and prepped fruit and veggies and dips. Carol made spinach dip. I picked up a lunchmeat tray in the afternoon. MFD's fam came over for dinner and it was another relaxing nice visit situation. Good to see everyone, and the dogs loved all the laps to sit on. I put my phone down the first time I got up then never picked it up again until everyone was out except Mark and Sarah. Ben did not mind the extra solo attention. We were cleaned up and laying down by 9. 

Here we are in Christmas week.

I am allegedly off until January 3 after today, but I have external deadlines that will need to be met over the break so I'll work on those as needed and nothing else. I'm sour about it but there's nothing we can do.

Friday Five-ish: Christmassy shit

Happy Friday - one week left until Christmas Eve. Two weeks left in this year. A good time to dump the holiday-ish photos I've taken here and wander off into the weekend, where I have three actual event-related things to do. After so long of having nothing to do, doing a fraction of what I used to feels like so much LOL. 

Ocean City's beach trees: North Street, 11th Street, 15th Street, 21st Street, 37th Street, and 55th Street. I also went to see the secret tree on Seaspray that lights up at night but it's been so heavily misty this week my pictures are shite.

Over a week ago my Dad and Carol took us to dinner at Macaroni's. The meal was absolutely delicious, I cannot stop thinking about the brussels or the stuffed chop. Their entry tree was amazing too. Then we drove around two of the cul-de-sacs in our neighborhood to look at the lights. 

Clark Griswold finished his window after that. You can land a plane in our living room but it always looks festive and nice.

Of course we have pet photos to accompany that.

If you're not feeling it or feeling very fucking tired of the show that is 202021 - I'm just saying it together now, it's run together and it has run well amok - hang in there. I hope you get some rest over the holidays. Remember you don't have to do everything, buy everything, see everything, be everywhere. Quiet holidays are wonderful too. Or not observing them at all if you don't feel like it also works. 

I hope everyone is vaccinated and boosted, taking advantage of the warmer temps to ventilate well or be outside and in general careful out there. If you indulge in holiday spirits, do not indulge in holiday driving.

I am ill over the national threats of school shootings trending on social media. This country is beyond broken and it cannot be fixed within the systems we currently have. This is freedom? Really? Be safe out there everyone. 

Happy happy happy birthday to my very favorite little boy  - my nephew turns four today. He is smart, funny, mercurial, and gives amazing hugs. 

Thursday Thoughts - daylight fading come and waste another year

Embracing my not favorite season by finding joy in lights and trees, like this little on on our porch at the shore. I love this little scene.

Sending peace to anyone who struggles in any way through this season - art via

Approaching my Christmas music season. I only listen to it a few days out from Christmas

Eating to clear out the freezers at the shore this week. I had meat ravioli for a dinner and a lunch, and I'm working on burgers with a side of sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts

Walking on the beach 

Working like a dog on two deadlines - one known and one new, and the new one will fuck with some of my holiday time off

Anticipating reorganizing my kitchen in Philly. Those are my wild Friday night plans. One of the pieces for that is this

Wishing everyone would read this, think about it, and go into the new year expending energy on those who invest energy in you and not worrying or wasting time even wondering about people who don't expend energy on you - via this account

Raging over the fact that republican senators were given a powerpoint of the insurrection, Fox news people knew about it and did nothing, and literally nothing is happening. Also raging over Democrats doing nothing, people voting for centrists like Biden who say we'll help with student loans and doing jack fucking shit about them, on and on. Can democrats fucking do something FOR THE PEOPLE like they said they would? Stop reaching across the aisle to obstructionist fucks intent on stripping all rights from women and voting rights from black and brown people and keeping people poor, uneducated, sick, and desperate? 

Photographing dogs in beds

Watching Nothing. I meant to watch Yellowstone every day this week and have not.

Reading I finished The Maid by Nita Prose last night, which comes out on January 4 (different than the Maid on TV, that is based on this book). I'll start another Netgalley book that publishes tomorrow tonight (whoops) - The New Year's Eve Party by Hannah Emery. Thanks for those who joined in on Show Us Your Books Tuesday. The Favorite Reads link up is December 30. I also beta read the newest novel by my friend Shelby for feedback - kudos for writing your second full novel while working full time, Shelby!

Reminding us all via

What's new with you?

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Daylight Fading by Counting Crows