Monday, January 4, 2016

Happy New Year and Other Random Shit.

Since I retired I have loved the holidays more than I used to. It's nice to have time to shop and wrap and decorate and cook. It's also nice to be able to just hang around the house in comfortable yoga pants, (the baggy ones, not the ones that fit), just looking at the tree drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, depending on the time of day.

I like hanging out doing nothing probably more than I should. It's one of the reasons I didn't want a Fitbit tracker. I didn't really want to know that on my non-run days I barely log in 2000 steps towards my set 10,000 step goal....as I did on New Year's Day, since I watched three movies back to back.

I did get a new Garmin tracker for Xmas since I broke three Fitbit ones. So far, so good. I am not making any real NY's resolutions except to still continue working towards my goal of continuing running until I am 60 years old. (Pretty sure I'll make it now, since that day will come next year.) I am also going to try and not check in so much on Facebook. Right now it's rather boring to me anyway. Lots and lots of memes and jokes that I've already seen before. I do like some of the breaking news and photos (as long as it's not the 32nd photo of your grandbaby that week). But I am ill equipped to respond to posts about illnesses and tragedies and they seem to be more frequent this time of year, so I think it won't be that difficult to leave it alone more than I used to. (Plus I will be back at work at Soundview, my own job part time starting tomorrow) and will be working until April.

I keep thinking of what I want to spend that money on because I told myself I would not put it into savings this time because I really didn't want to go back to work. I bought Brian a new MacBook Pro for Xmas which totally surprised him so that took some of it. Had new bedstands made by a carpenter friend. And I bought an expensive pair of Cole Haan rider boots. But I can't think of what else I want off the top of my head. One of the benefits of living in a small place I guess. It keeps me from buying stuff since we have little storage. I am sure I will come up with something. Maybe I will have my kitchen cabinets refaced and painted again, though they don't look THAT bad right now.

I recently discovered David Foster Wallace because I watched a movie about him with Jason Siegel called The End of the Tour. Funny thing, when I ordered it I thought because it was about the Rolling Stone reporters time spent with DFW that when I ordered the Netflix DVD I thought it was the end of  a Rolling Stones tour because I read it too fast. Hahaha. A nice happy accident. Since then I have read his essays on Cruise ship vacations and state fairs and since I am not fond of either I found them both hilarious and accurate. DFW writes with a keen but kind insight I think. He makes fun without being mean. How does he do that? I had heard of him awhile ago because he had been written about in Rolling Stone magazine (the only magazine I still subscribe to now) and I knew he had committed suicide. It's interesting that a guy who can write with such humor would be so sad.

Also over the Christmas break I discovered all of the Girl with The Dragon Tattoo movies, I love the Swedish Lisbeth AND the American Lisbeth. Honestly couldn't choose one, though I did think the Swedish actor was maybe a little too pretty for the part. Just as Daniel Craig was a little too cool for his part of Mikel Bloomqvist. All good movies. I had read the first two books, but not the third.

Let's see what else ? I can write all I want now without worrying about length since this blog is pretty much dead. But here's the thing about it. Recently I needed to know a couple of things - for example, when did we buy our iMac desktop?....and I knew I had written about it here so I was able to figure it out. I like having some history where I know I can find it since my filing system at home for such things is not as organized as you might think a slightly OCD person would maintain. My OCDness is mostly saved for the outwardly appearances. What is behind closets and cabinet doors and out of sight does not bother me so much. Hence, terrible filing practices. (Probably has something to do with that it is too much like work).

Brian's band The Brian Feist Band is no longer together and we sort of knew that it was probably not going to last a year, which is fine with me. Brian still practices with his old band and is practicing jazz now with a sort of hybrid of the musicians from the BFB and the Blues Oasis.

We got a new Samsung smart tv which was finally delivered in late August (just in time for Seahawks) And it was like Christmas because we didn't have a decent tv because it took 9 months to get our media center with the rolling barn doors built by Erichsen Brothers. It was worth it though because it came out so beautiful and I love our TV and being able to stream Netflix and Amazon and YouTube. Now I just have to be sure I'm not spending my non-Facebook time watching TV .

Well this is about enough for a post. I discovered adult coloring this year and have some cool Prismacolor pencils that I received for Xmas, so I think I will go and do some of that. It really is cathartic. Almost, but not quite like Xanax. I think once the election kicks into full gear I will be doing even more coloring to keep myself sane.

My hopes for 2016: Seahawks go back to SuperBowl and win. Everyone in my family stays healthy. And a small one, I hope it snows!


14 comments:

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

My iPhone has an app that tells me how far I've walked. Someday I'll look at it and be amazed...LOL.

I'll let you sit next to my husband and watch the Seahawks roll over the next guys. He was so pissed that Fox switched to the Oakland game because the Seahawk game was so out of reach.So much for America's game of the week. I am really disgusted with the Packers. The players are playing with absolutely no soul.

The DOL after 12 years of being on workers comp, took the word of a shill doctor who saw me for 10 minutes and decided that I could be a useful working citizen again. TSA doesn't want me, they can't take the restrictions. I don't want them. So they are sending me to a career counselor, who will get me up to speed with what the working world needs with a 62-year-old woman whose shoulder hurts like mad and has to take pain meds. Honest to God, he said I could lift 40 Lbs, and in truth I can't carry a 7 lb bag of ice. 10 minutes and his presumptions are God's word in the eyes of the guvmint.

Waiting on the rain to come.

Peace.


Anonymous said...

A new blog post! Woohoo! It's Amanda, by the way. Blogger was being rude.

How was the David Foster Wallace movie? I always wanted to read his books, but never did. They seem like books only smart people read. I hate Jason Sigel; he seemed an odd choice for the movie. But maybe it worked out.

Did you ever see Chapter 27, the movie about Mark David Chapman? It had fat Jared Leto and I was dying to see it, but then forgot about it until just this moment when I was thinking about the David Foster Wallace movie. I think John Lennon is fascinating right now and I'm even starting to like his solo music, which always seemed so lame before. Maybe it's because I'm middle aged now.

Not happy to be back to work after vacation. I have the mehs.

jojo cucina cucina said...

Oh wow!!!! Amulbunny and Amanda here? I totally wasn't expecting to see anyone here. I am thinking about doing less Facebooking and more blogging whether or not anyone reads or not. Most Facebook folks seem to only want to read memes and I am not getting much of a writing outlet there anymore. Plus I am sick of seeing the same memes and I have some really liberal (like me) friends who post a lot of politics, but unlike me, don't seem to know when to give it a rest anymore. I have FAcebook Fatigue. I am not leaving though because I learn so much there. I probably just need to unfollow a few folks.

Anyway, I like having a place to record history and sometimes when I am bored I go back and read stuff I wrote years ago.

I did like the David Foster Wallace movie and I think I will watch it again once I read some more. I love the titles of his books:
"A Supposedly Fun Thing I Will Never Do Again" and "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" - those are two titles I just checked out of the library yesterday. Essays. Next blog post I am going to write more about him.

I haven't seen Mark David Chapman movie Amanda, but will look for it, for one reason to see a fat Jared Leto!

DFW sort of reminds me of Mitch Hedberg, and much like how I discovered Hedberg (AFTER he died) is how I found out about DFW. I tried reading his Infinite Jest book a while back but the sheer weight of it was a deterrent, not to mention that I had to keep looking up words in the dictionary. HIs essays aren't quite so esoteric.

Anyway, thanks for being here. I do love your Baby Harry posts Amanda. I can tell he's the kind of kid I would just love being around, like my nephew Baby Brady.

Go HAwks!

jojo cucina cucina said...

And thank you too Amulbunny. I hope things get better about your work situation!

B said...

I listened to a podcast with DFW a few months ago. If he committed suicide recently, maybe it was a re-post. His interview was so crazy that it dissuaded me from reading anything by him. Do you think I'll like him?

I read Lacy Eye by Jessica Treadway during break. Psychological thriller, not sure if you like those. Now I'm reading her backlist.

Happy New Year! I know what you mean about the FB doldrums, and this year will be extra painful as it's an election year.

jojo cucina cucina said...

Hey Bethany,
I would start with reading the essays on the Illinois State Fair and the Cruise Ship one. They may have resonated with me because I have NEVER wanted to go on a cruise and I'm one of the few people who do not like going to the Puyallup/Washington State fair. I'll go and look for the links and put them here. They are long. I really liked Lacy Eye and gave it an asterick in my FB notes section.

DFW committed suicide in 2008 - he was 46 or 47 years old. His wife found him hanging (I think in the garage). The essays that I started with were years before his suicide and evidently he had been on medication for a long time and was going off and on with it so it may have contributed to his slide back into depression. Not sure. I don't know that I can read Infinite Jest, but I do like his essays. He had a pretty funny one about David Lynch too.

Good to see you here BTW.

jojo cucina cucina said...

http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf

The cruise ship essay!

jojo cucina cucina said...

http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-1994-07-0001729.pdf

The Illinois State Fair essay

B said...

Thanks!

B said...

I read the cruise essay. Having taken my first cruise in 2014, I agree with much of his essay. I found the whole experience unsettling. And or very relaxing. It was so artificial.

While I enjoyed his writing more than I thought I would (his interview was weird), I can pick up on his sadness and how he feels like he doesn't fit in.

B said...

* and not very relaxing

jojo cucina cucina said...

Having delved into his other stuff I don't think I will actually read anything of his straight through. When I get a chance I will link some of his sentences that are overloaded with 50 cent words. I admire a good vocabulary and I don't believe at all that he is showing off but his writing for me at times is so difficult for me to comprehend with those heavy words that I have to stop. I don't like reading a dictionary at the same time . I do think these links are great examples of what I do like. Maybe he wrote these essays when he was high!

pearl said...

I go on a cruise every chance I get and love every one...can't wait for the next. That said - I loved DFW's cruise ship essay. Loved it.

Everytime I write DWF, I still think of Designer Footwear. Now you know where my REAL interest lies!

One thing about those cruises - wifi is neither free nor cheap! I frankly thought you'd chucked the blog business, but am happy to see you're still around. I'll be back.

jojo cucina cucina said...

Thank you Carolyn!