Random Thoughts Thursday 477
- Khali had her teeth cleaned Tuesday, and the vet had to do one extraction. Khali was quiet when I picked her up and the vet said she might not have any appetite for 24 hours, but as soon as we got home, she started meowing and lead me straight to her food. And she was all up in my business at dinner. So… she’s been acting pretty normal! (Phew, I’m always nervous when they go under anesthesia.)
- Khali’s teeth cleaning was expensive, but the vet had been recommending it for two years and it needed to happen. I was telling Steven this and how I wished I could girl math it, and he was like “well it was basically free because you saved all that money by not doing it for two years.” FOLKS, that is some ADVANCED girl math. Applause! Ha. I laughed so much when he said that.
- My 16 year work anniversary was on the 8th! Awww.
- Speaking of work, last week someone described my job as “the complaint line.” I’m not happy with how accurate that is. The good news is, I’ve been in this position long enough I can tell when something’s urgent and important, and when it’s… not as urgent and important. I’ve been able to compartmentalize my stress about it to during working hours (by almost never thinking or talking about work off hours), and I have a really good team and the resources I need to connect people to the correct folks to help them out.
- All that being said, I very much enjoyed this sangria after a bonkers work day yesterday. WHY ISN’T EVERYONE OFF FOR THE HOLIDAYS YET.
- Speaking of the holidays, I kind of forgot I usually put fake garland on our mailbox. That’s definitely not happening today – it’s like 3F right now.
- I did something a bit different with my mani – I got almond shaped nails instead of squoval! Val had that shape in Seattle and it made me curious how it would look on me. The funny part is I texted her “My friend Val got almond shaped nails so then I did,” with this pic, then she sent me a pic of her mani with “my friend Kim got squoval shaped nails so I did.” Ha! We switched. Anyway, this mani is so hella cute, I love it. Definitely a fave of the year!
FAFO
At the end of Monday’s strength class, our trainer Marybel asked us to write our 2025 “word for the year” on an index card, which she planned to tape up afterward.
I was caught off guard – I usually don’t do a word for the year and hadn’t given 2025 much thought AT ALL (other than fun little things I want to do).
But I came up with “mindful” – the intention to be more mindful with all my actions.
Then as I picked up my phone to leave and saw my “FAFO” sticker on the back I thought “Dammit! I should have put FAFO!”
I shared this regret with another student, saying itâs how I live my life now and that I should have written it. She laughed and said itâs her secret motto with the other cheer captains for the team she coaches, and sheâd was considering writing it herself.
And folks, she did. Muah ha ha.
I was so happy when I saw it this morning!
Our 2024 Tree
It’s December 10th. Christmas is two weeks from tomorrow. I know – you know.
We FINALLY got our tree and put it up. We normally get it the day after Thanksgiving, but we hadn’t yet! And since we’re saving money for a plane (???), we got something on the smaller side:
Ha, I say we’re saving money for a plane, but I just spent what I would have for a tree on tickets for The Holiday in Concert in December 2025. The good news is, by the time the concert comes around, it will be completely free cause girl math. If you bought the tickets over a year earlier? Def hundo P free.
WAIT.
The tickets are free NOW because we didn’t buy a tree. DUH!!!!
But no money was saved for buying said plane (or was it somehow? That is like Girl Math 303). But at least the tickets were free! Phew, I feel better now.
Ups & Downs (& literal ones too)
Kind of a nutso weekend. I was in Wisconsin a lot of yesterday for the visitation and service for a friend’s parent. I was a wreck and am absolutely devastated for them. I’m so glad I could go to support them though.
Then the evening was our venture to the Auditorium Theater in Chicago to see Love Actually in Concert. We stopped to try vegan dĂśner at Dmen Tap.
Fun to try but not very good. The search continues!
The movie was amazing with the live orchestra! They sounded so good we sometimes forgot they were even there!
I’d never seen Love Actually in the theater, and it was fun to see it with so many people who love it (except for the two ladies behind us who talked the entire time, kindly, stfu). The audience was super engaged. Lots of laughing at scenes I never LOL at at home, which made it more fun. And the orchestra was phenomenal! I definitely want to do this again.
We got home so late. Late for us. Past midnight! Worth it. (But whoa, what an emotionally draining, long day. I was in cars for over 7 hours.)
I was really happy to see the sun and clear skies today. I took advantage of it by resining some painted rocks and going on a short run. My run felt great. High 40s, lower wind, and sunny skies feels wonderful after a couple weeks in the teens and 20s with ALL THE CLOUDS. I’m grateful I got to run in shorts and a long sleeved shirt on December 8th.
We had a flight (in N378MA) scheduled at 3:00. Unfortunately one of the marker lights was broken on the plane so we couldn’t stay out past sunset (4:19), but we still went to the practice area and did some slow flight, a stall, a 360, and s-turns (hence the “& literal ones too” part of the title).
Ha, Steven asked if I wanted to do a power-off stall, and walked me through it all, but it was still a bit of a shock when the plane lost lift and we started to fall forward. Kind of like being on a rollercoaster. I’m so impressed he knows how to do all that… stuff. Just, wow.
I guess it’s a good thing our flight ended early cause we both had a few hours of Fake Meats work to do when we got home.
I’d like another weekend day off please. Er, and I even had Friday off this weekend (but it was so full, UGH). Christmas is going to be here so soon AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Something like Twilight… but for adults?
When we were in Seattle Carrie W was telling us about this trend on social media where two people go into HomeGoods and ask for something like “do you have painting of a duck wearing a monocle and top hat?” Then the other person says “yes we do!” and shows it and it’s funny because the items there are so random and how could anyone actually be looking for them specifically? (example reel here)
You know this story is off to a good start when I’m explaining why something is funny. Ha.
So that was brought up a few times throughout the trip, and we’d sometimes act it out when we were in a store.
Okay, on to the actual story.
So we’re at the Bainbridge Island bookstore, and I’m near the romance section with Val and Carrie, and Carrie goes “Do you have something that mixes romance and fantasy? Kind of like Twilight but for adults?”
And I say “Oh! Like romantasy! Yes! Yes I do!” and I start looking around…
Then this young woman who is in the aisle (with a man I am assuming is her father) all excitedly says “Oh! Right here! The ACOTAR series! A Court of Thorns and Roses. This series is so good!” (And ironically, that is what I was going to show Carrie)
“But this,” she continues, with a dramatic pause, while picking up Throne of Glass and holding it by her heart “will enchant you and become your entire identity.”
Folks, she was so heartfelt and sincere and serious and I was ABSOLUTELY there for her passion. I loved it.
So we chatted a bit about the books. I told Carrie if she does read ACOTAR she HAS to do it on Graphic Audio. Both Aisle Girl and I told her how you just “have to get through” the first book. I asked Aisle Girl what she thought of the spicy fifth book to see if I could get her to blush in front of the man I assumed was her dad. Ha. Her response was that she could “not do audio for that book because she did not want to be in that character’s head for certain scenes.”
Ha ha ha. The bookish world and people in it are so fun.
We browsed a bit more in that aisle, and Carrie ended up borrowing The Fourth Wing from her library on graphic audio and is loving it! So her kind of jokey question actually got her to a book she is enjoying!
Random Thoughts Thursday 476
- I decided to book a hotel in Chicago last night so I could fully enjoy our work holiday party without worrying about the two-hour commute home, and I’m so glad I did! The party started at 4:00, and the after-party went until midnight (well, that’s when I left). I had a great time. We all spend so much time being serious at work together – it’s a treat to let loose!
- I saw a horrible photo of myself in my skinny jeans last month and decided it was time to try some wide leg pants. These jeans (below) are okay. The tan pants (second pic) are questionable with that jacket. And those shoes. And that backpack.
- I’m also trying some curl products for my hair. I’m looking for a magical thing that makes my hair ready to go with minimal work from me. I know, it doesn’t exist.
- I’m proud of myself for not talking much about flying on the Seattle trip. And for holding back on a very pedantic response that crossed my mind while talking to the cashier. I don’t want to be the person who won’t shut up about a certain thing, or the person who corrects small errors that really don’t matter (which sadly means I may have to get off of some of the hills I was intending to die on).
- I received this ceiling fan (addressed to me) from Home Depot. We didn’t order it, and when I called to ask about the order number, it was in Home Depot’s system under something else! They were like “keep it or gift it for Christmas!” Ha. So weird though. This happened in the spring with some mugs from who knows where.
- Wicked Part 1 was marketed so aggressively that I have absolutely no interest in seeing it.
- Now for the completely random, whenever I write “dessert,” I think about my 5th grade teacher who taught us how to remember the difference between desert and dessert – that dessert has two Ss, just like how you always want more dessert.
Seattle Day 4
Our last day in Seattle (Tuesday 11/26) was a short one! Well, for me and Snis – our flights took off at similar times in the early afternoon. Tiff’s and Val’s took off in the evening so they explored the city a bit after we left.
In the morning we painted (obvs) then Tiff, Val, and I went on a run. We kept putting our run off due to rain, and I’m grateful we had one non-rainy morning.
Y’all, Seattle is HILLY. I didn’t realize how hilly until we went up in the Space Needle two days before and I looked at the neighborhood our Airbnb was at and saw how it just kept going up and up!
For our run we ran downhill toward Lake Union, then came up a ton of steps to get back! It was nice though. I’m glad we got to run. And I’m really proud of myself for not being obsessed about working out on vacation like I used to be.
I got a vegan breakfast sandwich at Turtle Coffee (Tiff and Val got coffee at Cafe Hagen), then we headed back to the house (where Snis had a chai for me). I think I ate, showered, finished painting my one rock left, then packed?
I was really hoping I could come back with one checked bag, but I packed in case I had to separate my stuff into two checked bags due to weight (of rocks and mugs).
We said our goodbyes around 10:00, then Snis drove us to the airport, where we returned the rental car, then hung out until her flight left. I did have to separate my two bags. Ugh. I was over by 6 pounds.
Ha, when we said goodbye Snis yelled at me “you smell like Taco Bell!” and I said “you look like Taco Bell,” laughing. We had such a good trip.
I had a bit of time before my flight took off so I wandered the airport and eventually made my way to my gate. We took off late (due to a maintenance issue) but still landed early.
And I got my vegan meal!
I saw that amazing view of Mount Rainier, then spent most of the flight reading and uploading photos to my computer, and wishing the kid behind me was not kicking my chair.
ORD was the most bonkers I have EVER seen it, and I was stuck there all day once right before Christmas 2007 because of a snowstorm. This was worse. Mind you, it was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. And I didn’t have any issues, other than mobs of people.
Steven, however, did. He picked me up (and dropped me off Saturday! my hero!) and was just sitting on the highway. There were so many people trying to get to the airport, it was backed up onto the highway, and you could only get in if you went to the front of the line and cut everyone off.
So I got my bags and took the people mover to Metra for him to pick me up so he wouldn’t have to go near the airport (he left that line and went the long way). What an ordeal! Noted for next time.
We got home kind of late (thanks two hour time difference) and I didn’t unpack that night like I normally do (gasp!) but I did get a few things out, like this toy I got the cats at Neko Cat Cafe. Needless to say, Apollo was into it!
She found it!
When designing the back of our holiday card, we chose some photos with kids in them and wanted to make sure their parents were okay with it before ordering. Both said it was fine, but when I sent my snis the photo below, she said “Ella says ‘wtf?’ tho.”
Sigh. I know. Ella is not in that photo.
So I fixed it!
Buah ha ha. I was dying with how clever and funny I am.
It’s so miniscule though, I wondered if my snis would even notice?!
Then I got this text on Sunday:
Buah ha ha. Made my freaking day.
And I am just, like, super impressed she could see that!
Seattle Day 3
I’ve been extremely adverse to schedules on vacation lately. Likely because my day-to-day life is so scheduled and I want a freaking break from it. On Sunday night Carrie W (not the Carrie we spent Sunday with but the Carrie we spent Saturday night with… confusing, I know) text to coordinate our plans for Monday, because she was spending the day with us. We knew we were riding the ferry to Bainbridge Island to see the Thomas Dambo troll there, but had no idea when we’d be going. Carrie asked if she should aim for around 10:00 and I said sure – but to check in with us before she left her house in case we got involved with something. 10:00 is late in the morning, especially when your body is still kind of on central time in you’re in pacific time, but I just didn’t want to be held to any schedule! Maybe that’s something to unpack in therapy. Anyway. I’m grateful everyone was accommodating to me on this.
All that to say, we sat around a bit Monday morning painting, then decided to get breakfast at Wayward Vegan. Their coffee options were lacking, so we went to (local) Turtle Coffee first, then ubered to Wayward Vegan. Carrie met us there for breakfast, and was our driver for the day. So kind of her! (And for her to take the day off work to hang with us.)
I get super overwhelmed when an entire menu is vegan! I’m used to scanning for a few options, not every item being an option. My go-to for breakfast is almost always a skillet, but when I saw Wayward Vegan had a vegan eggs benedict, I had to try it and see if it was anything like the real thing.
Not super close, but still tasty!
So our main goal for the day was to see the Dambo troll on Bainbridge Island, but we saw there was another troll nearby in Ballard, so we visited that one before making our way to the ferry (there are actually 5 trolls in the Seattle area!).
We also realized we were nearby the vegan donut place my snis had found, but it was closed. But then she found another so we stopped there and got some donuts to try!
Then we made our way to the ferry. Ha. I’m not sure how to explain this adventure. The ferry entrance is just south of Pike Place Market. It’s pretty busy on a Monday. We were either going to make the 12:25 ferry or have to wait until 1:10. We were so close to the ferry – like we could see it – but we weren’t allowed to turn right to get to it. GPS wanted us to go many blocks past it, then come back, and make a left turn to go there, well past the 12:25 time. Silly, right? Did I mention it was like 12:22?
So we followed that then said screw it and did a legal u-turn and cut a ton of time off and made the ferry. Woo hoo!
I’ve taken cars on ferries twice before (Madeline Island, WI & Cassville, IA) and it’s always such a fun adventure. We parked, took in the view, then sampled a bunch of the donuts. The raspberry and twist were my favorite!
When we got to the island, we went right to the troll. They’re always so cool to see in person!
Then we went back downtown to spend time browsing and shopping. My snis had heard how cute this town was, with great shops, from several people, and we were excited to check it out! I bought several gifts, and had a delicious vanilla chai!
We went to a bookstore and Snis and I learned Kristin Hannah is a (parttime) local resident! That was fun. We sent a pic to mom since we recently read The Women together.
I think we took the 5:45 ferry back? Leaving the area around the ferry was just as silly but we did the U-turn trick again to get out of there.
Carrie dropped us all off, and Tiff hung out at the house while Snis, Val, and I went to get ramen then to Neko Cat Cafe! Because for all I said at the beginning of this about being anti-schedule, I remembered there was a Neko Cat Cafe (OMG THEIR INSTA IS HILARIOUS) in Seattle and when Val and Snis said they’d go with me at breakfast I immediately booked three slots for 8:00 pm then spent most of the afternoon worrying about schedule. Good job, Kim.
THE CAFE WAS SO CUTE. I think I squealed when I walked in and immediately saw a sweatshirt I HAD TO BUY. We loved our 45 minutes of cat time with those sweet bebes!
After the cafe it was back to the Airbnb for a bit of chatting and painting before bed!
Folks, these posts are so transactional in the interest of trying to keep them short. I’m leaving out so many little details and stories. Like:
- Val braiding my hair Sunday and Monday morning
- All the fun conversations and jokes and just in general what an amazing time it was
- Us not knowing where TF to go once we paid for the ferry and the workers not being particularly helpful
- Me saying how Val lives “so much closer to the sun” (and that is why she felt so cold in Seattle (Tiff did too – she’s from LA)) and then being teased for it the rest of the trip (loved it, ha)
- The parking lot to the park by the second troll being under construction and Carrie worrying very much about where she could legally park and me realizing I am not as big of a rule follower as I thought when it’s someone else’s car, ha
- Me asking a store owner if a romance by a local author is “open door” then them asking what that means and me telling Val to explain it because Steven called right at that time and I wanted to take his call. Ha ha ha ha ha. I wonder what she told him!
- A hilarious encounter at the book store on Bainbridge Island that will get its own blog post
- Snis saying how she had such a hard time driving at night in the rain Saturday night then me struggling with it big time Monday night (I drove us to dinner/the cat cafe) and realizing it was (mostly) the horrendous windshield wipers. I can’t believe Snis drove in that for FOUR hours.
- Snis getting vegan ramen she didn’t order. Oops! (they fixed it, but they did ask “did you touch it?” and she said no, then the waiter walked away saying “we aren’t going to reserve it” and we were all wondering WHAT they were going to do with it then?)
- The person who completely bit it and hurt their back and head when they walked into the cat cafe đ So, so horrible.
- AHH! I almost forgot the most hilarious thing! When we were walking to get ramen, Snis goes “it smells like Taco Bell” then someone nearby said “You look like Taco Bell!” She said “rude!” (while laughing)
There were just so many laughs and “wtfs?” and good memories on this trip!
Reading Update (2024 #76-78)
[76] Because Fat Girl by Lauren Marie Fleming
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, saw at airport bookstore, Kindle
Synopsis: Diana moved to LA to support her sister and pursue her dreams of acting, writing, and directing. After making a name for herself as a film festival darling, her world spiraled with the unexpected death of her brother. The past few years have found her working as a personal shopper, with only a tenuous connection to the film industry – dressing the stars instead of being one. But when an unexpected opportunity arises to share her latest script with a major star looking to branch into producing, Diana finds herself torn – not only by the career chance, but by developing feelings for him, even though sheâs always identified as 100% queer and only interested in women.
Review: This cover and story intrigued me at the airport bookstore and I was excited to see it immediately available on Libby, but it was a let down. Diana seemed like such an interesting character – a fat queer woman fighting for more representation of people like herself in film – but there wasnât enough depth to her. She writes a brilliant (???) script based on her and her sisterâs experiences, yet we get very little detail about it. We hear about her brother dying from cancer, her parentsâ struggles with alcoholism, and how Diana feels her sister, Cecily, had it easier because sheâs thin and straight, but I wanted more of the backstory. What was this movie they were making? It was a disservice not to share more of her past. I also struggled to connect with Diana and Drewâs (the major star/producer) relationship – it felt rushed, and I didnât fully understand why they were so in love.
Recommend? No
[77] All by My Elf (Under The Mistletoe Collection #3) by Olivia Dade
Holiday / Romance, saw collection on Kindle Unlimited, Kindle
Synopsis: Three adjunct professors (or something like that) are spending the month driving a refurbished wienermobile around, selling mincemeat pies. Two of them are crushing on each other, though neither seems to realize it (gasp!). When the third is away for the night, the other two get caught in a snowstorm, and you can guess what happens in the WIENERMOBILE.
Review: Do you ever finish a book (in this instance, short story) then go onto Goodreads to see if anyone else thought it was as bad as you? This one is not even worth writing up. Don’t read it. Or do, so we can talk about how bad it is! That sounds fun.
Recommend? Hell no
[78] The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, saw in “Available Now” on Libby, audio
Synopsis: Anna and West got married in college – not for love, but to qualify for subsidized family housing. Four years have passed and Anna has all but forgotten about the arrangement. That is, until Westâs ultra-wealthy grocery empire family insist she attend a family wedding on a remote island. To her shock, she discovers theyâre still technically married. Now, Anna must play the role of (ultrarich) devoted wife to help West avoid losing his inheritance.
Review: I enjoyed this book right from the start – Annaâs humor made her instantly endearing, and West is incredibly likable, sincere, and just a genuinely good guy. The story gave Crazy Rich Asians vibes (the movieâI havenât read the book), and I was all in for the over-the-top family dynamics and watching Anna and West truly get to know each other and fall in love.
Recommend? Yes!
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 am employed by the federal government. 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! đ
