Random Thoughts Thursday 485
- We got this cute new scratcher for the cats. It said $20 when I scanned it at Target, but was on sale for $13.99 then 15% off so I paid like $12 for it. That’s $8 saved for my girl math bank. Woo hoo.
- Yesterday I said “girl math” to a coworker and he’d never heard it before! That was fun to explain.
- Thankfully Ned is still distracted by the Gingerbread cat house and is leaving the new one alone.
- The outdoor cats had a special visitor on Monday. I went outside and opened the flap and the opossum was just like “whut.” I let them be. They’re harmless.
- Greg was MIA for like 5 days and he showed back up this am. Phew.
- Today is our 9 year anniversary of closing on our current home!
- New mani!
Holding it together
Actually, it’s (in no particular order):
- Humor
- Caffeine
- My snis
- Therapy
- Cat cuddles
- Reading
- My coworkers
- The gym
- Running
- Limiting social media
- Rock painting
Although it could be argued I’m not actually holding it together 😂😩
What’s on your list?
Two vague observances
1. It’s been interesting how many people reached out to ask our thoughts about the devastating and tragic plane* crashes last week in DC and Philadelphia – both about what we thought happened and whether it made us nervous to fly.
It’s interesting that they legitimately wanted our opinion on it – I’m not used to people wanting my opinion! – and touching that they were thinking about our safety.
I was (somewhat) surprised to see I did have a baby opinion**, based on what little information I read and pending the NTSB report. Who knew. Seems what little time I’ve spent in the plane, chatting with Steven, and reading up on aviation has stuck with me. “I’ll take Bravo Airspace for $400, Alex” (RIP).
2. If there was ever a time it was beneficial to have the top person in my organization as my mentor it is RIGHT NOW and I am SO GRATEFUL.
*Not trying to make light of this AT ALL. These crashes are horrific and devastating and my heart breaks for all of their families and loved ones.
**okay, baby when talking to others, pretty loud, more like adolescent, when talking to Steven
Cat photo for payment for reading this:
Respect his artistic license, please
My parents gave us this cute gingerbread cat scratcher in November, and Ned didn’t start destroying it, excuse me, renovating it, until after the holidays.
They also gave one to my snis, and she offered it to me when I visited in January. Her cat didn’t really care for it and it was in pristine shape.
So I took it home, thinking it would last a few months like the last one.
Ned had other plans.
Who knew so much destruction could be done in such a short amount of time.
Reading Update (2025 #4-6)
[4] The Coworker by Freida McFadden
Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, recommendation from Sandra, audio
Synopsis: At Vixed, a nutritional supplement company, Dawn Schiff is the odd, friendless accountant who never misses a day at her desk, until one morning, she doesn’t show up. Popular sales rep Natalie Farrell is unsettled by Dawn’s absence, and an anonymous phone call only heightens her concerns. When she visits Dawn’s house in search of answers, she finds herself becoming more entangled into the mystery than she ever anticipated.
Review: I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads because it kept me so damn entertained on my drive home from Iowa. It starts with a long email Dawn sends her boss at Vixed, and I could instantly tell how freaking bizarre she was just from the way she formatted a simple meeting request. I was hooked from the beginning and sad I had to pause it when I arrived home. I finished it the next day! The twists in this one felt natural and not overly outlandish, which I appreciated.
Recommend? Yes
[5] The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, green light from Jamie on The Popcast, hard copy
Synopsis: After a year of hiding out post-divorce, cozy mystery author Maggie Chase reluctantly accepts an offer from her publisher to spend Christmas in Europe meeting a devoted fan. The catch? Her workplace rival, thriller writer Ethan Wyatt, is tagging along – a detail she discovers only after boarding the plane. Upon arriving at a remote, grand estate, Maggie gets the surprise of her life about their mysterious host. Soon, she and Ethan find themselves forced to work together to solve a baffling mystery, leading to revelations, danger, and unexpected romance.
Review: This was well written but dang, it took me so long to get into it. It turns out cozy mysteries* aren’t my jam. Who knew? Actually me – I had a suspicion, ha ha. I thought Maggie and Ethan were really interesting characters and wanted a lot more of their backstories. The story picked up at the end, but it took me forever to get there. It was kind of annoying there were a zillion different characters, but I eventually figured them out. Meh.
*I think it’s really odd Edelweiss+ doesn’t even classify this as mystery! I’d put that before romance! (I knew it was a mystery going into it – that wasn’t a surprise)
Recommend? No
[6] Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic, saw in “Available Now” on Libby, audio
Synopsis: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were raised in foster care by the seemingly loving but controlling Miss Fairchild. Their childhood appeared idyllic, but was shaped by rigid rules and fear. Years after breaking free from Miss Fairchild, a body is discovered beneath their former home, forcing the sisters back to where it all happened.
Review: This was another I liked so much that I started and finished it in a few days time. I was immediately intrigued by the three sisters and enjoyed how the story alternated between their present lives and their time in foster care (with the sisters getting their own chapters). It was fascinating to see how their upbringing shaped who they are today and how they continue to cope with it. And I loved their unwavering devotion and loyalty to one another, and how the people in their lives were affected by it. That Australian narrator (it’s set in Australia) added to the listening fun.
Recommend? Yes
Random Thoughts Thursday 484
- Everytime I wear this very precious sweatshirt I drop some food on it. What the heck! Thankfully, I’ve been able to get all the stains out so far. But, grrrr. GET IT TOGETHER KIM.
- It’s almost the end of January (thank gawd). How did I do on my January goals?
- ✔️ Use walking pad on work at home days – I used it every day I worked at home
- Don’t multitask during meetings – I did this for as many meetings as I could, but things became hectic and urgent last week and this goal become less relevant
- ✔️ Pause before sending ranty texts to Steven – definitely paused!
- When I was listening to the work email portions of the The Coworker by Freida McFadden it reminded me of my first job out of college and how one time the owner read everyone’s emails (which I suppose is their right since it was their business, server, and equipment) and LOST it on someone who had been writing not so nice things about them. Ha, this happened in 2008 and I just now feel like it’s long enough ago to talk about it.
- I’ve been feeling very grateful for my coworkers, amazing supervisor, and leadership where I work.
- Let’s talk insurance!
- Something good – my therapist went above and beyond, writing her clients a full script to use when calling insurance to check if she’s covered. So helpful! She even included a form to keep track of the answers. Happy to see she’s covered again this year.
- Something annoying – it’s that time of year again – where I get my first EOB and wonder “ugh, does my insurance not cover this anymore, or have I just not met my deductible?” I got my first bill for my blood work and it was SUPER high. The office part of the visit was not covered at all. When I chatted my insurance they said I just needed to meet my deductible, and I asked why they covered the office part of the visit last year before I met my deductible? I finally got through to them and they said they would send it in for reprocessing.
TIL: what nautical miles are
Okay, so I knew both planes and ships use nautical miles, and that nautical miles are longer than statute miles, but I didn’t understand where this measurement came from. And why would something on the water and something in the sky use the same unit of measurement? They’re not even in the same space! WHAT THE HECK.
Again, probably something I should remember from school. Did you all know this one?
So, IT TURNS OUT, nautical miles are a measurement between latitude. You know, latitude – the imaginary lines running horizontally east to west around the globe that we use for measurement. The ones that start at 0° at the equator and go up to 90° at the North Pole and down to 90° at the South Pole.
APPARENTLY, each degree of latitude is broken into 60 “minutes.” And each “minute” is roughly 6,076’ which is… BOOM!!!… the measurement of a nautical mile. Sixty nautical miles equals one degree of latitude, or 1/90th of the distance from the equator to the pole.
So THAT’S why ships and aircraft use it – because it’s directly derived from the dimension of the earth (and not some man-made measurement like miles or kilometers).
TMYK!
What a 💩 start to the week
Ha. You guys. The week can only get better after this.
(probably not but I am going to be optimistic!)
(and don’t worry, this is not about work)
(but it is about poop so consider yourself warned – if you need to bounce, now’s the time)
I walked by the living room yesterday and noticed it needed to be vacuumed so I started Mega Maid (our robot vacuum).
Then I went on my merry way.
I walked by it again later and noticed there were small pieces of poop spread out evenly along the litter box.
And for a second I thought “Huh, that’s odd. Normally when Apollo poops on the floor it’s just in one spot.”
Sigh.
Then it clicked. He HAD pooped on the floor in one spot. I forgot about it, ran Mega Maid, and she spread it all over the living room and got it stuck in her wheels.
So that was SO MUCH fun to clean up.
YAY!
Weekend Distractions
Not enough downtime but I needed the distractions this weekend.
Some good news!
RAGBRAI is ending in Guttenberg this year – right where my family has property along the Mississippi River!
RAGBRAI is the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. It’s a weeklong bike ride, and you can choose to do the whole thing, or individual days. It’s always held the last full week of July and the route changes every year. The first time I rode a day of it was in 2014 when it ended in Guttenberg, and I have been not-so-patiently waiting for it to end there again ever since.
So, yay! Having the route near where family lives makes the logistics so much easier. (It’s also going through Cedar Falls this year, where my snis lives, but I don’t know if I want to ride more than one day, and the last day is the most fun so I’m leaning toward doing that one only.)
My brain’s been so scattered lately. Even though I mentioned the upcoming announcement on my blog and remembered it once last night, I completely forgot by the time I went to bed and didn’t check! So it was fun to wake up today to texts from my dad and snis chatting me about it.
Dad is definitely riding it, Val and Steve are in, and maybe my snister’s husband. Can’t wait! It looks like I’ll be getting on my bike in the spring! Last year I only rode it once. EEK!
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
