Life

Friday 5: Bother!

February 17, 2023

Happy Friday, and happy National Cabbage Day! I’m a little late getting to the blog today and I only have about a half hour until Movie Night (this week is Encino Man) so I’m hopping right to the Friday 5.

This week’s theme is Bother! Do you remember the late 90s/mid 00s when Pooh had a chokehold on everything Disney did? It was the time before the Disney Princesses and Toy Story characters became the unstoppable force they are today. You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing people in Pooh shirts,. Or, if they were trying to be edgy, Tigger or Eeyore shirts. The short-lived trend of Sexy Tinkerbell happened around the same time.

I am not a fan of Disney’s Pooh universe. Each character is a bit too much. Nevertheless, it’s time to answer these questions.

  1. When did you last put honey on or in something?
    Last night I put a few drops of honey in my green tea. I don’t consume honey any other way.
  2. How do you handle a bad mood?
    I like to be left alone to drink water and sulk. Eventually I come around.
  3. Which Winnie-the-Pooh character do you most identify with?
    Owl. Definitely Owl.
  4. Which Winnie-the-Pooh character would you best get along with?
    The heffalumps and woozles, but before they were rehabilitated into likable characters.
  5. What’s your favorite way to do nothing?
    I have a gorgeous (to me) sectional sofa with a bunch of pillows an blankets and it’s my favorite place to lounge with a book or my Surface tablet or my TikTok app which is full of wildly entertaining and stimulating Pedro Pascal clips.

I did make it to the gym last night and am super proud about that. Maybe I’ll head back tomorrow!

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Hobbies

Valentine card haul 2023

February 16, 2023

I like receiving mail and it turns out I like sending mail as well. It’s one of the least expensive ways to brighten someone’s day, and you can be creative as you want.

I’m a member of the MetaFilter online community and a small group of people who enjoy sending and receiving cards set up monthly and holiday card swaps. I often write about the cards I make and send out as part of , but I wanted to feature the lovely cards I received in return.

Here’s my 2023 haul:

valentine cards spread out on a tabletop. they are all pretty and overwhelmingly red/pink

Some are store bought, some are handmade. Some had stickers enclosed, one had a hedgehog made out of foam hearts!

a hedgehog made of small foam hearts and a googly eye
hedgehog? porcupine?

All were perfect in every way.

Ironically, WM and I don’t exchange cards. I texted him this though because I’m shmoopy like that.

a download from the NJ Devils website, it's a valentine featuring goalie Vitek Vanecek that says "just vanecek-ing if you'd be my valentine'

I hope your Valentines Day was exactly how you wanted it to be.
(written while putting off going to the gym)

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Life

Super Bowl Monday

February 13, 2023
it's a Philly thing

I don’t watch football regularly (it’s the concussion issues for me) but I had to check out the Super Bowl last night. By now you know the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in a heck of a game, but it was the most exciting game I have ever watched. I know the basics of football because I played for years in high school and college (Tecmo Bowl) and I was on the edge of my seat until almost the end when the refs decided the game was too exciting without their interference. Anyway, the Eagles did a great job this season and are now the THIRD Philly team to get to the end of the 22/23 season and lose in the final game. (Union, Phillies, Eagles)

Rihanna was okay. I like her music, the set was cool. I think if she weren’t pregnant more people would feel comfortable saying it was a low-energy halftime show. I just think I prefer the multiple-artist shows, like last year’s show.

My favorite ad had to be the couple dancing to the hold music. I think we’ve all been there. The Farmers Dog ad has me a little perplexed as to how old that large-breed dog had to be to live from when the child was 5ish to when the child was a married college grad with a whole-ass baby. My first dog arrived when I started Kindergarten and passed when I was 18. The math isn’t mathing.

Because of the Super Bowl TNP doesn’t “open the office” until 1 so I ran some errands this morning including going back to the gym. I hadn’t been there since November because I kept coming down with colds. Today was quite a jarring return.

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Gaming, Life, Pets, Reading

Friday 5: In the pit

February 10, 2023

Happy Friday!

It’s the weekend and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl. And y’know, I’m not much of a football person and for years I actively hated the team but there are so many people who will be happy if they win that I have to say GO BIRDS. Wednesday was our monthly one day in the office (le sigh, le sigh, you know how I feel) and we had Philly-themed food for lunch AND received Eagles tees. TNP still knows how to woo their workers.

Murphy had a blood draw yesterday (which I wouldn’t be able to easily do this trip every 3 weeks if I were still working at the office, so the conveniences are there) and he is still doing remarkably well. His red blood cell count is exactly where it should be, and so we are tapering down his steroid to 5mg a day! For the record, he started out at 30mg in November. His energy level and appetite are great. We are so stinking happy. We also hope this is his last expensive health problem.

Kim and Murphy at the vet's office.
He is very handsome but not brave. He is expensive but worth it.

Onto the Friday 5! This week’s theme is In the Pit.

  1. When did you recently pass the baton to someone?
    There’s a project I REALLY wanted to do simply because I wanted to learn something new with data processing, but because of my new managerial duties, I couldn’t find the time. I sadly had to pass it off.
  2. What do you wish you never fiddled with?
    I kind of wish I never dyed my hair. I started so long ago with Sun-In and its ilk. If I had let myself sit with what everyone called “dirty” or “dishwater” blonde hair would I have learned to love it? I tried growing it out years ago but the roots just looked too bad against the dyed part.
  3. What do you plan to reed in the near future?
    (Reed? OH! it’s an orchestra pit!) I borrowed the first Bridgerton book from the library. It’s called The Duke and I and it’s the book that the first season of Bridgerton was based on. That season was FIRE. I had to drag myself through season 2 (Anthony/Kate) and didn’t even finish because the smolder was constantly being derailed by the stupid Featherington cousin and derpy Edwina storylines. I was hoping Benedict would be season 3, but instead I have to suffer through Penelope and Colin first.
  4. How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?
    Unseasonably warm! It went up to 58 degrees today, warm enough for me not to wear a heavy coat while mucking dog poop out of the yard during lunch.
  5. What have you lately been nuts about?
    I have been loving Slay the Spire. I can jump in and out of the game easily and it has just enough grind and randomness to it that I’m challenged but not frustrated. It’s lightweight enough to play on my Surface so I’m not tied to my PC to play. I’m also really into Devils hockey now. They are having a fantastic season and while I don’t think they’ll go all the way, I might get to see some playoff hockey this year!

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