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Cruel Trick of Nature

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 Yesterday was a busy work day.  Yes, they are all busy, but yesterday was a little bit more stressful than others.  With that said, the highlight of my day was mid-afternoon, when the sun broke through the clouds for a little bit.   I know it was February 23rd (which also was my grandmother's birthday), but temperatures were in the 60s.  (Hallelujah!)  As a result I had on a sleeveless top (with a light sweater over it) and leggings.  I knew I needed to take a break from the day and grab a few minutes of blissful sunshine.  It was too late to head for the patio.  (The sun was too far west in the sky and the patio was in shade.)  Instead I grabbed my Nook and headed for the front steps. Not the most comfortable place to sit, but in full sunshine.  It was quite windy, but not cold.  For a February day it felt WONDERFUL.  I sat there for a good 10-15 minutes reading. (Just started Isabel Allende's  Violeta ,...

Frustrated With Myself

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  I am angry and upset with myself.  As much as I know it's not a big deal and I should let it go (cue the music), I'm having a really hard time doing just that.  I am NOT a "let it go" person or personality; this is a major character flaw! So what am I so (stupidly) upset about?  I purchased tickets to see "Clue" at  The Paper Mill Playhouse  .  My son is a theater kid and we all love going to see shows, but tickets are not cheap.  (Yes, I know you can get inexpensive tickets, but I also fully admit that as a theater snob I want to be up close and person.  I've said it before I want to SEE the actors’ faces and reactions.  I'm the same way when it comes to concerts.  I don't want to go to a concert to watch a performer on a screen, I want to BE in the moment and really see the perfomer(s).)  If I could we'd go to see shows all the time.  Honestly, I think we should probably see some more local community theater, but ...

An Important Holiday

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 You are probably aware that Monday is a holiday; President’s Day.  So banks will be closed.  There will be no mail delivery. My son is off from school.  I don't have to work (however I probably WILL).  However, I have been informed that today is a GLOBAL holiday.  Today, February 18th is Global Drink Wine Day. Thank goodness for social media or I might have missed this.  I actually DID miss an earlier holiday.  Wednesday was International Syrah Day.  (I'm not a Syrah drinker so it's okay that I missed it.  Although I don't suppose I would turn down a glass if I had been offered.) It turns out there are quite a few wine related holidays that I had no idea about.  Thanks to the internet I now know (and can share with you):   March 3rd – National Mulled Wine Day  March 13th – International Riesling Day April 17th – International Malbec Day May 6th – International Sauvignon Blanc Day May 9th – Na...

Thursday Observations

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  If you had a picture of me right now, you'd think I'm living a relaxed life.  I'm sitting in my parents' living room typing away and looking out the window which overlooks a lagoon.  It could be perceived as a charmed life. In some ways it may be.  I'm lucky enough to have the view and blessed to be able to sit here and write these words.  But that's not all of it.  What appears to be a relaxing day isn't necessarily so. My day began just after 4 AM (which is actually around the time that I usually get up on weekdays).  I was able to take 30 minutes to do some exercise.  (During the dark winter months I'm "confined" to my  "walk aerobics " which I've been doing pretty religiously since 2011 and semi-regularly since late in the last century.)  Then I ran upstairs to get dressed and ready for the day.  Sounds pretty easy thus far... I was out the door by 5:30 and headed south to my parents.  Their caregiver had an appoint...

More about Covid

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We are nearly two years into to Covid.  Two long years and how we long for it to be "over."  But will it ever really be?  Despite "promises" in 2020; it’s not going to just disappear.  It will (in my uneducated mind) start to fade and be less lethal.  Vaccination will probably be an annual thing.  We will live with it; it will live with us.  Masks may go away, but probably not completely and no one will give a second thought to seeing someone wearing a mask in public.  (Remember when that was weird?  Do you remember?) Because of Covid I've seen my parents less.  Maybe that's true or maybe it's just something I'm letting myself think to make myself feel better.  Not seeing them meant that observations were not made.  Daily phone calls (and there are ALWAYS daily phone calls), were shorter (I used to call on my commute to the office...that is a distant memory).  I let things slip.  When I knew in my heart that th...

It's Over?

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 I live in NJ.  As of March 7th students and teacher will no longer be required in wear masks in school.  The same will be true in MA at the end of the month. In nearby NY, the indoor mask mandate for business will end.  Is it over? It's not over.  It may be waning, but it's not over. I'll admit I don't know how I feel about this.  I still go into stores wearing a mask.  Sometimes it seems like the whole place is masked and other times it's like I am the only one there with face covered.  I want to get rid of the mask, I truly do. (Despite the fact that I have a basket full of cloth masks that are double layered along with packets of disposable masks.)   I have gone without a mask.  For that time in the summer when it seemed okay to do so and all was fine.  At a concert where staff was masked but 99% of the audience wasn't.  (And I ended up with a cold; not Covid.  Makes me think I should have worn a mask.) We've...

My New Mantra

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I came up with a new saying for myself today.  It's one that I think I'll be saying over and over to myself this year.  Are you ready?  My new mantra is:   Even if it ain't perfect it's something.   That's how I feel about life right now. Nothing I'm doing is perfect.  I'm doing the best that I can.  I know that sometimes that's not enough. However, now is the time to apply this new catch phrase:  Even if it ain't perfect it's something. Even if what I'm doing is not quite as much as I would like to do, it's something.  As much as I might want to do more; it's okay if I don't.  At least I'm doing SOMETHING. At least I'm making tiny steps forward even though I may see other things go sliding backwards.   This all started this morning when I had a few minutes to do something. Most of us don't get a heck of a lot of downtime. There's always so much going on in our lives that who knows what the heck we're doing...