Looking Ahead

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2019 is almost here- less than 48 hours away!

As a lot of other people do, I always reflect on what I want to do better or more of in the upcoming year. At the ripe old age of 46, I know that I won't achieve all of my goals. If I can achieve a small percentage and maybe partially complete some others, I will be satisfied.

Here goes:

1) Pull this blog off of life support and get it breathing again. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? I've said it frequently in the past. I've meant it at the time I said it, but it never came to fruition. So...let's try again, shall we? I won't try to set a goal like, "blog at least once a week" because I know I won't do it. How about we go with blog more than 2018? (I wrote SIX blog posts in 2018 [including this one]). SAD! I love writing. I need to be more intentional about my free time. (Translation- less time sitting on Facebook & Instagram.)

2) Share what I read. I list my books read with a letter rating in the right column of this blog. I keep track on Goodreads. I occasionally share via Instagram or Facebook. I've had people message me on Facebook or email asking for reading recommendations, so why not share on a wider/more consistent basis? In 2019, for each book I finish reading, I will post on Instagram & Facebook with a photo of the book, the name/author, a snippet of what the book is about, my letter rating, and a snippet review. Because I want to speak the "kids" language, I will be creating/using a hashtag for this project- #katiereads2019 (Brilliant, right?) Hopefully this will give followers exposure to books they might not otherwise get and they might give recommendations back.

3) Lose the 10 lbs I lost in 2018 but gained back. Yeah, not much to say here. I need to suck it up buttercup and do it. I'm back on the Couch to 5K program (week 2, day 1 completed earlier today.) I use the 5K Runner app and it's great. Eating is really where the problem lies. Holidays and eating healthy are just not a good match. But, as they say in Weight Watchers, there's always tomorrow.

4) Spend time doing calligraphy and lettering. I have collected a few books about calligraphy and lettering and want to actually sit down and open them up and use them. I also have some Tombow Dual Brush Pens/Markers that I bought a while ago to go with the books. I need to dust them off and spend a 1/2 hour on a weekend just doing that.

5) Do what I like. Like what I do. 

See you in 2019! Happy New Year!

Showing My Age

John and I went to the movies yesterday to see A Star Is Born.

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I honestly didn't know much about the movie, but had an idea of the general premise (I knew that this was a remake- come to find out one of many remakes over the years) and I thought, "If it has Bradley Cooper, it must be good." (I loved Silver Linings Playbook - probably one in my top 10 favorite movies of all time.)

The movie starts.

About 10ish minutes into it, I start thinking, "Wow, this no-name actress that's playing Ally is FABULOUS! She has a great voice and she's playing the inexperienced/scared soon-to-be starlet so well."

Not long after, Ally's father enters a scene.

Immediately I say to John, "Is that Andrew Dice Clay?"

Two hours later (yes, really), when the credits come up I realized that...

WAIT FOR IT...

Lady Gaga played Ally.

::mic drop::

So...I have no problem identifying Andrew Dice Clay, but don't have a clue about Lady Gaga.

Excuse me while I crawl back into my 80's/90's hole and don't come back out.

P.S. The movie was AMAZING!!! See it!

All Good Five Day Holiday Weekends Must Come to an End

The five day holiday weekend is like a unicorn- does it really exist?

YES- it does- I'm living proof! The company I work for gives us two days off for the 4th of July holiday. This year, we had Wednesday (the 4th) off and then Thursday. I figured going in for one day after having two days off would be torturous, so I took Friday off, thus the five days holiday weekend!

Wednesday, July 4th

As it was to be in the 90's and we don't have central air conditioning, we figured it would be best to be inside and somewhere cool.

After getting a deal on Groupon for AMC Theatres (a $26 gift card for $13), we made the decision to head to the movies.

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The pickings were somewhat slim, but since we both liked the original Incredibles, we decided to give Incredibles 2 a shot. (It's probably more accurate to say that this was more my choice than John's....see note re: napping.)

It was good, but as with most sequels, not as good as the first one. The character of Edna is my absolute favorite and she only played a very small part in this film. Oh well. John got a decent nap during the movie...lol.

John had found a restaurant for us to try, but it being the 4th, it was closed, as were the next few we drove by. We ended up at MaryAnn's Diner in Salem, NH.

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The inside was decorated with fun 50's diner/TV/movie decor. The food was OK. I originally wanted a lobster roll but they were out so opted for fried clams, instead. They were good but the batter was different- I can't put my finger exactly on how. John got fried chicken and waffles and again said it was OK, but he'd get something different next time.

Since we'd both slept poorly the night before due to loud air conditioner, we ended up heading to bed early. However, this happened first. (Wait for it...- no hostility there, right?)

Thursday, July 5th

We decided to head to the beach on Day 2.

It actually wasn't nearly as crowded as we thought it might be AND the water temperature was 67 degrees! That's as good as it gets here for the ocean in New England. I actually went in...up to my waist.

Did I mention that John & I are having a house built on the beach? Slow but steady, it's coming along. (Yeah, right.)

Here we are. Don't we look happy??? We are in our happy place (with my eyes pretty much closed, of course.)

Here are a few more. Check out the seagull with the crab in its mouth! (I wish I could've gotten closer.)

No trip to the beach (or at least Hampton Beach) is complete without fried dough! We trudged down the beach to Blink's Fry Doe (yes, that's how they spell it).

I get mine with cinnamon and sugar. You?

Friday, July 6th

Not sure I've ever mentioned how John & I met, but it was at a non-profit organization in Boston. I was still in college and was doing an internship there. John did the newsletter and graphic design for the agency. He asked me to proof a brochure he wrote and I corrected his spelling of the word millennium and the rest is history. But, I digress...

While we were both at the organization, we made some great friends with our co-workers. One of those is our friend Phyllis. Phyllis is great to just sit and talk with. She lives in Brookline, so we ended up visiting with her at her place and then having lunch at the Golden Temple just down the street. It was good Chinese food, but even better company!

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Saturday, July 7th

We did grocery shopping on Saturday morning (see reality starting to creep back in???) and then drove down to Cohasset, on the South Shore of Massachusetts to visit with an have dinner with another former colleague- Maureen, and her husband Joe.

We had a pleasant pre-dinner drink with snacks on their deck (it was gorgeous out!) and then got the tour of the shoreline in Cohasset (with some amazing houses) and then headed to Bia Bistro in Cohasset.

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It was great food, drink & company! I had a blood orange margarita which was delicious! Our dinners were also great- salmon for me.

Sunday, July 8th

A shopping day all by myself!!

First stop TJ Maxx, where yes, I did get the max for the minimum! (Pardon the craptastic lighting in the pictures.)

I got this cute magenta colored Life is Good t-shirt:

A grayish blue pair of shorts (I told someone recently that shorts shopping is worse than bathing suit shopping!)

A workout shirt for Pilates. Another grayish blue item. This is the back:

And my favorite! (The picture does NOTHING. It's much better on!) It's a Lucky Brand top and  Jones NY capris. The blue/terracotta combo is ah-mazing.

I then headed to Burlington Coat Factory and got zippo. I hit another TJ Maxx (because you can never visit too few TJ Maxx's in one day), but didn't find anything there, either.

Next was Off Broadway Shoes (struck out there). I walked next door to Nordstrom Rack and got John a pair of Nike shorts and drooled over the Tory Burch & Coach shoes.

Kohl's was next. I had to return something and I ended up getting some towels, well they're actually bath "sheets." Since John is 6'4", he prefers a larger towel. I got Chaps towels that were on sale, plus I had a 20% off coupon, plus $5 in rewards!

I hit Macy's for some makeup and then went to Shaw's, as my co-worker told me they had the "good" flavors of PopCorners.

Eek...they had these! (They're delicious!)

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In case you can't tell, I had a GREAT five day holiday weekend. I'm glad I got to spend so much time with John and that we agree on activities that make both of us happy. I'm glad we got to visit with friends that we don't see that frequently. I'm glad I got to have some alone time shopping.

Now, can we just stop time and put off Monday morning coming????

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

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This is going to be about as random a selection of questions, comments, concerns that you'll see. However, it's my blog and I'll be random if I want to, random if I want to... (that's as far as I can take the song- did you even KNOW I was referencing a song?)

Questions?

1. Do most Catholic churches still have morning mass every weekday?

After 18+ years of working at the same place, I feel the need to veer from my usual driving route to the office. So, of late, my route takes me by a Catholic church. This church is in a community of about 14,000 people and about 35 miles north of Boston. I'm stunned when I drive by on a weekday morning, as it actually looks like there's mass going on. 

Why am I stunned you ask? Well, when I was young, I remember that it was commonplace for the Catholic churches I knew of to have a morning weekday mass EVERY weekday. However, we've had many churches close in this area and I thought that there was sometimes just one mass PER WEEK. What about in your area? Just wondering... (I'm no longer a practicing Catholic, I just wonder about odd things...)

2. (This is a two-parter) Have you seen Netflix's The Staircase? If no, move on to the next section. If yes, do you think that Michael Peterson is guilty?

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Let me preface my comments by saying I've only seen three episodes so far. Similar to Making a Murderer, I have gone back forth on Peterson's guilt/innocence. I'm sure I'll change my mind a gazillion more times before I'm done watching it, but wow. 

Just wow. 

So many oddities so far.

Comments?

1. People that use email ought to go through "reply all" training before they're let loose in the wild.

(And before you read this, just remember that I'm putting in writing what some of you are thinking...o_O)

This comment is directed at two camps of people- those that use it incorrectly and those that don't use it.

Here's a tip: if you get an email that has gone out to the ENTIRE company, DO NOT (I repeat DO NOT) reply all. Hypothetically, let's say an email goes out an entire company reminding them to RSVP for an upcoming function. DO NOT reply all saying you RSVP'd. DO NOT reply all asking if there will be sporting equipment to use at the function. Just don't. 799 people do not need to know your personal business. (Can you tell I feel strongly about this one?)

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Here's my second tip: If you send an email to say five people because you want to share something with all of them and one of those five replies all and maybe says, "Wow...that's really cool. How did you come across this?" The original sender should NOT just reply to the person asking the question. The other four people may have the same question and want to see the answer. Also, if the original sender only replies to the person asking the question, he/she will end up maintaining multiple email strings about the same topic.

OK. Stepping off my reply all soapbox now. 

2. I miss blogging.

I know, I know. I'm the only one that can fix that. I need to be better about making time for things I enjoy. 

This blog has been alive (although sometimes on life support) for 10 years and I'm proud of that. I will try to make the time. 

Concerns?

Even though "concerns" is plural there will be only one concern...and it's a big one.

1. The growing lack of compassion for other people.

That might not make sense, but I don't really know how else to say it. 

There are so many levels to this. I feel like we're in a "me, me, me" culture. 

This is going to be a written dump of ideas/thoughts/feelings, so bear with me.

So many kids spend a large amount of time sitting behind a video game or social media. Get out. Interact with other human beings. Realize that there are all kinds of people around you and they all have something to offer. You will become a much more well-rounded adult if you do this.

Check yourself before you open your mouth. The most recent example of this is Corey Lewandowski, a political lobbyist and commentator saying "womp womp" while Zac Petkanas, former senior Democratic National Committee adviser was telling the story of a 10-year old with Down syndrome being taken from her mother and put in a cage after crossing the border illegally. If you haven't heard the story, you can read about it here.

Lewandowski claims the comment was directed towards Petkanas and had nothing to do with the fact that the child in the story had Down syndrome.

Here's the thing. Either way? It's wrong. It's wrong to mock people with disabilities. If in fact the comment was directed at Petkanas, it's wrong. Still. You're a grown man on national TV using a phrase that tweens use. He may as well have stuck his tongue out.

Grow up.

Think beyond yourself.

Introspection. Get some.

P.S. For those that may think that this is anti-Republican/Trump, it's bigger than that. However, the fact that an adviser/lobbyist/whatever his title is that works closely with the President of the United States is conducting himself like this and is allowed to continue? Shame on today's society. Republican, Democrat, or Independent, if you have a microphone in front of you, you have an obligation.

The Most Important Meal of the Day

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I didn't eat breakfast until I did Weight Watchers the first time around about 10 or so years ago (maybe it wasn't that long ago? I've lost track...)

I was a late sleeper so I generally didn't get up in time to have a "real" breakfast and I just wasn't hungry right when I woke up.

When I started Weight Watchers, the importance of breakfast was instilled in me. (People would always say it was the most important meal of the day, but I never listened [as many people don't]).

Over the years, I've come to find low point/filling/great tasting breakfasts. It's funny- even though I understand the importance of breakfast, it's still the meal I want to spend the least amount of points on.

Here are some of my favorites:

Siggi's Orange & Ginger Non-Fat Yogurt:

This is 3 SmartPoints (on average what I like to "spend" for breakfast). It's hard to describe the taste, but it's the least sweet tasting yogurt that I can stand. (Does that make any sense?) I often have this with a banana.

Emilybites Pear Gingerbread Oatmeal Singles:

These are 3 SmartPoints and are AH-mazing! I'm not a big oatmeal person but I love pears and gingerbread so I thought I'd give these a whirl. They taste great and are SO easy to make. They also freeze really well. I've tried her Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Singles, as well, but didn't like those as much

Now that eggs are zero SmartPoints, I occasionally microwave an egg in a ramekin and have that. I've also made breakfast sandwiches with light English muffins, an egg and a piece of low-fat cheese for 4 SmartPoints.


Quaker Chewy Girl Scouts Thin Mint Granola Bars:

I'm a huge mint fan (and let's face it a huge Thin Mints fan- who isn't?) so I love these. These are 4 SmartPoints.

I love this, but it's a splurge at 6 SmartPoints:

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It's odd because I don't think I've ever had an apricot (and don't really have a desire to have one), but I love this!!!


What do you eat for the most important meal of the day?

Nothing Says "Happy New Year" Like This

That's right, people!

I spent the first day of 2018 cleaning the bathroom.

Have you ever noticed how toilet bowl cleaner can look like abstract art? A Rorschach test? Or, just toilet bowl cleaner in a toilet. I digress. (What else is new?)

In all seriousness, John and I had a nice New Year's Eve.

We made a bunch of tapas/finger foods:

L to R: Sticky Baked Asian Chicken Wings from Valerie's Kitchen. This has been a go-to recipe for us for a few years. It's easy and the wings are delicious! Onion dip & chips. There's a story there, but I'll get to that. Slow Cooker Cranberry BBQ Meatballs from Tastes Better from Scratch. This was a new recipe for us and it was very tasty. Mixed fruit and a homemade garlic loaf.

Our drinks of choice were sangria (for John) and chardonnay (for me) in my new purple crackle stemless wine glasses.

So, about the dip. I've been having nostalgia lately for clam dip. Yes, clam dip. My grandma always used to have that at her house on a holiday and I loved it! After she passed (more than 30 years ago) I stopped eating it (for no particular reason.) So, while I've found recipes on Pinterest for it, I thought, why not go old school and buy the packaged stuff (as my grandma did- she was not fond of cooking...lol.)  I went to two grocery stores and couldn't find it, so we just went with onion dip.

While writing this blog, I started Googling clam dip brands. Guess what, peeps? The main supplier (Helluva Good) stopped.making.it. OUTRAGEOUS! (And yes, someone devoted an entire blog post to this) And it's from seven years ago. I'm so out of the clam dip loop!

I guess I HAVE to make it from scratch. I found this recipe from Foodie Crush. I may try that once I've come out of mourning for the loss of pre-made clam dip.

Moving right along!

We watched an Amazon movie- The Big Sick.

It was GREAT! Two thumbs up- highly recommend! It was funny and real. It had its element of sadness, but ended perfectly. Watch it!

We also started watching Ozark, a Netflix series-

We only watched one episode, but so far so good. (Does Jason Bateman age? No, I didn't think so.)

We then watched the ball drop & toasted (using the flutes from our wedding). It was a nice evening. (And we realized it was our 21st New Year's Even together- time flies.)


How did you spend New Year's Eve & the first day of 2018?