new routines

Another new routine I am adopting for 2020 is to listen to NPR during my morning drive to work. I have usually listened to MSNBC or CNN for news and once I am yelling at the radio, I switch it to 80s music.

NPR, so far, has been a breath of fresh air. Which is perfect as the program on at 6:30 is Fresh Air! I've heard an old interview with Toni Morrison and one with Bruce Springsteen.

Why the change? Well, two reasons. First, channel surfing and news options were making me a bit anxious and sad. Second, I'm turning 55 in March and I have a sudden need to learn new things. I think that is also driving the nonfiction reading efforts.

Who knows, I may start listening to podcasts next!

Today's positive: slept well, almost too well, I feel a bit wonky this morning
Today's goal: barre at 4:30

the week ahead

What a nice weekend. We really enjoyed Little Women, although familiarity with the book seemed to fill in a lot of character development points for the audience. My kiddo had several questions after the movie and felt that some things weren't explained well.

I am back to the empty nest now. Everyone left by noon on Sunday. Hubby and I got caught up on Vikings and enjoyed a simple dinner. We are all back where we belong.

The week ahead will be long. It always is after a holiday break. I hope it goes quickly and we settle back into the routine of normal life. I do need to stop by the library today and pick up a book I placed on hold. It is one of the titles for my book club. I think it is our February read.

So, with the new year here and underway, I'm trying a few different things. Of course, one of them is blogging again. What is old is new! The other thing I am doing is reading one chapter in a nonfiction book each morning. And, staying on my barre schedule. I went to class Saturday and Sunday, so that return to normalcy is well underway.

Something positive: coffee is almost done
Today's goal: clean house after work

Excited

The middle kid and I are heading to see Little Women on Saturday. I'm very excited. One of my fave books and I believe I've seen every movie and TV adaptation around on the March girls. I've heard great things about this version and the cast is stellar.

This event will wrap up our Christmas 2019 break. I was able to be off work for 13 days, such a treat. Returning to the office yesterday was hard and the day didn't start well. I was locked out of the building since they updated the security system and my new key was on my desk. Not helpful. Waited for 5 minutes before my calling and ringing finally got the door opened. Then my email wouldn't open and I got an error message. Sigh. Then, no TP on one of the stall spools. Joy. Some things just never change in that place and TP is one of them. The women I work with seem to have an aversion to changing the roll.

The day was quiet and pretty low-key. No one wanted to be there. Today will go fast, I hope. We will go out to lunch and that should help the afternoon speed along.

And it's Friday! The weekend is ahead and while both kids will be heading home on Sunday, I'm ready to return to our normal routine. I did make it to exercise class yesterday and am a bit sore today. I will be going early Saturday and Sunday as well. With it being a free weekend...new recruits needed, classes should be packed.

Today's positive: the girl is happy her TN Vols won over my IU Hoosiers.
Today's goal: not let the petty stuff at work get to me like yesterday.

Let's Go

Off to work I go. The plan is for this to be my last year of full-time employment. With that in mind, I have several things I want to accomplish this year. First off, I need to create an SOP for my job. My director is a great guy, one of my friends, but he is not an SOP person. I often tell him that if he was hit by a bus, we'd be in big trouble. I'd be in big trouble! I don't want to leave that mess for someone else, so each task I handle in the year will require me to create an SOP for it.

Ugh. Writing directions on how to do something is not an easy task for me. But, I will make a start of it and see where it takes me. So glad we only have a two day work week to kick off the new year.

After work, the barre class is next. I really need to get back to my routine. It was nice to have a break, but I'm craving that workout. Never thought I'd be in a place to say that. I even have new socks to wear!

We finished our second Christmas puzzle last night and had a wonderful steak dinner to cap off our holiday break. Fun and tasty. I mentioned to the fam that as much as we enjoy those puzzles, we only do them at Christmas time. We all agreed to keep it that way. It is a nice tradition. At some point, the stash up in the bonus room closet needs to be distributed to the kids.

Today's positive: drinking coffee with that delish pumpkin spice creamer...when it is gone, no replacement!
Today's goal: barre class after work.

Here's to 2020

I can tell my vacation ends in less than 24 hours as I woke this morning at 4:00 AM. The thought of the office and all the normal routines are creeping in and my stress level is rising. The last 13 days have been wonderful. Stepping away and not thinking about work was needed. I am refreshed and while I'm not ready to go back, it will be okay.

2019 was a good year for me. Work went well even though we had several folks depart our small department. We survived and even thrived! Home-stuff went along as it usually does. The kids are all, more or less, doing well. Adulting can be rough and they have had stumbles, but things look to be on track for them.

I managed to read over 100 books in 2019. Hubby's travel schedule assisted with that. Even though we have several TV options to choose from, I'd rather read most evenings. I also stayed on track with my Pure Barre routine and managed to keep to a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday routine for the most part. I can see a difference and I feel a difference as well. Being able to attend 6 classes in a row before Christmas was a new personal best for me. The stress relief was needed and it helped offset those holiday calories. I have renewed my contract for 2020 and extended it a few months into 2021 due to a deal on class packages, so I am committed moving forward. I've attended over 370 classes so far and hope to hit 500 this year.

I hadn't posted on this blog in a very long time. Years have gone by without a post. That's okay. I kept track of my reading on Pinterest and I do enough writing at the office to soothe that itch. However, with the new decade launching, I think now is a good time to return to this. I find I spend too much time in the morning on social media. It doesn't help me feel good. I'd rather return to this platform and hash out the thoughts in my head here.

This is also prep for my impending retirement and a place where I can begin to write my next chapter. I have a few ideas in mind for what will come when March 2021 rolls around. Story ideas, gardening ideas, home improvement ideas, travel ideas. Lots of ideas!

I'm excited to start noting them and planning for them.

So here is to 2020. A new decade for all of us on this planet and a new opportunity with each sunrise to try and get it right.

Today's positive: baked oatmeal in the oven.
Today's goal: read the latest Holly Black novel I downloaded....my first book of 2020.

2016 in Review

We are a day into the new year and here is the recap of what happened in 2016. In regards to my reading, I completed 74 books! This was an increase over 2015 as I finished 68 that year. My reading is on a steady track with fewer children about, less of their "things" to attend, and more free time to spend between the covers of my latest selection.

I discovered a few new series. I've been enjoying the Black Dagger Brotherhood books from JR Ward. Pure steamy, trashy, vamp romances, but with a bit of kick-ass action. I've continued to enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series from Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie is always a good read and the London setting makes me quite happy. I have rediscovered Juliet Marillier and am loving her Blackthorn and Grimm books. She takes Celtic tales and twists them into mysteries. It was fun to read the latest Flavia book from Alan Bradley, along with the latest Lestat book from Anne Rice, and other series from authors I have followed for a while.

It was a good year for reading.

Of course, 2016 saw the election of Trump. The deaths of so many of my youth's cultural icons, Prince and Carrie Fisher to just name two.

My oldest graduated from college, found a job, an apartment, and has launched into adulthood with style and confidence.

Work has been good for both the hubby and I. The other two kiddos are doing well. Both will graduate this year, one from high school and one from her undergrad degree. The boy is off to Bama and the girl will be doing a fifth year to earn her master's degree and sit for her CPA.

We have a lovely vacation planned for May to celebrate all of that good stuff.

I did not blog nearly as often as I did in 2015, but am hoping to return to form in this new year. I will be scaling back my social media wanderings on Facebook and Twitter. It has become a chore instead of a fun thing to do. The phone will be placed on the charger away from easy access until I break the habit of scrolling through post after post.

So, that is it. Here we are in 2017. I'll turn 52 this year. And while the day outside my kitchen window is foggy and gray, I'm hopeful for another good trip around the sun.

Toodles.

wtf

The orange con-man was able to lie and bully his way into the White House. In three word sentences, he successfully appealed to the lowest common denominator in American culture and turned out the white vote. Voters who feel that this country has dealt them a raw deal. Voters who have hated the fact that a black man dare to occupy the White House. Voters who drank the rancid punch he has been peddling for months.

And here we are. What to do next? Of course, the House and the Senate stayed "red." So, the Republicans control the whole enchilada...oops, are we allowed to say that anymore? Not sure if those will be allowed over the WALL.

Sick to my soul. Sick of those who spout their Christianity and then pull the lever for a man who is the least moral, ethical, and religious candidate in possibly forever.

Disgusted. But, determined. We must not be silent. We must stand up and hold these officials accountable for every decision they make or do not make. We must stay informed. We must not quit. We must not marginalize those that so many have labeled as the "Other" among us.

We can survive this. We must survive this.