Day Seven
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BARNES & NOBLE
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LONDON
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HERCULE POIROT JIGSAW
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NYT SPELLING BEE
| BARNES & NOBLE | LONDON | HERCULE POIROT JIGSAW | NYT SPELLING BEE
Today’s Vibe:
Some days, the thing that takes the longest about this blog is not the writing, or the layout, or picking the photos, it’s focusing on the things to be grateful for. And then I feel crazy - because I have so much to be grateful for, but, I suppose some days nothing really stands out.
Unless there’s been a really obvious highlight - one of those things they call a glimmer - I usually start by going through my day. What did I do first? How did I feel when I had that first cup of tea? Did I go out anywhere fun? Who did I speak to today? How did they make me feel? Etc etc…
Today didn't start off that well. My youngest, who was supposed to be out all day at a big deal tech rehearsal, vomited. Never fun - obviously far worse for her than for me. Then we had the whole “Is it a stomach bug or just a morning thing because you haven’t eaten?” thing to figure out. Which is also never fun. As a parent I feel you can never win. Pre covid, if my kids could physically make it into school, they went. I had the attitude that it was really bad to miss a school day or a commitment and that unless they were really sick, they should soldier on. But things are a little trickier these days. The last family you want to be is the one who brings a stomach bug to rehearsal 5 days before opening night. So, she stayed home, and she’s basically been fine all day apart from a little tired. So, probably not the right call from an illness point of view - but on the bright side she got some much needed rest and we didn’t put the rest of the cast at risk. So, I think, between us, we made a good call???
The rest of the day was pretty relaxed - some paper work - 36 minutes on the phone to my UK bank trying to get my security info reset. The little calcualtor do dah I was supposed to use to log on and that I hadn't used in about a decade had run out of battery, I got two of my security questions wrong - which is odd because I really thought I knew who my best friend was at school , and so I got a big “Call Us” message. Once I called them they couldn't verify I was me because I had no voice recognition set up (did it even exist the last time I accessed the account?), and I couldn't remember my old UK phone number (haven’t lived there for 14 years). So then they said they were transferring me to the digital team to send me a new calculator do dah - and…. they hung up. So I guess I won’t be accessing that 136 GBP (or however much it is) in a hurry then.
Had a little excursion to Barnes and Noble with my other half - probably our family’s favorite shop, where I browsed books and looked at little stocking-filler-knick-knacks and had an iced coffee (I have only been grown up enough to drink coffee this year and even now they have to be sweet and iced), then came home, did a bit of my Hercule Poirot jigsaw (love me a good jigsaw), texted my middle child who is having a blast in London this weekend with some of her American friends who are also at uni in Europe and who flew in to meet her (sounds fancier than it is - they probably flew Ryan Air and they’re staying in a dorm in a youth hostel) and this evening I will probably do some laundry and watch the latest episode of a rather random program I’m watching on TV with my husband - Bodies. The show is set in four time periods and is about how this body keeps turning up - the same body mind you - in exactly the same place. So in 18 something, 1943, 2023 and then again in the future. It’s far fetched and not very good, but when my husband and I watch TV together we have to COMPROMISE!! Sometimes that actually means we end up watching some quite good stuff in a genre we wouldn't usually watch on our own, but sometimes it means we watch utter rubbish - like this! Past “successes” have been, Invasion - aliens invade earth but some people have a way of kind of resisting them - why??? Also Silo, in the future people live in this underground bunker thing and sometimes people go crazy and go outside to “clean” and they die - or do they? What’s outside the silo, what came before the silo etc etc. That one was actually really quite good to be fair - Rebecca Ferguson’s in it and she’s awesome.
Anyway, once we’ve both endured Bodies, he will likely go off to play on his computer and I will probably watch Eastenders - the good old British soap opera I’ve watched for 30+ years. Unless my youngest is downstairs - because she “strongly dislikes” Eastenders and anyway, we’re watching Gray’s Anatomy from the beginning together - something I’m pretty sure she wouldn't be watching if she weren't watching with me! TV is like a metaphor for peaceful living it seems - it’s all about compromise!
OK it’s time for the gratitude bit…
Today, I am grateful for:
Barnes and Noble - I know it’s a big bookseller and don’t get me wrong, I love small, independent bookshops too, but I love the layout, the variety, the little extras they sell and the Starbucks that’s attached. A trip to Barnes and Noble is always a good idea - even if it does stress me out because I want to buy more books and I keep thinking back to the huge stack I have beside my bed that are still unread.
London - Slight sense of homesickness today looking at all the pics of my middle enjoying herself in my old stomping ground with her friends. But also so much gratitude for a wonderful city and for the fact my girl is there making memories in it. I love London.
My Hercule Poirot jigsaw - I wasn’t a jigsaw person until about a year ago. I just didn’t get it. What is the point in spending all that time creating a picture when you already know what it looks like and you’re just going to break it up afterwards?! It’s kind of the definition of a waste of time. But I don’t know if it’s an age thing - like they say that you hit a certain age and start bird watching (not there yet, thank God!), or just… no, I think it must be an age thing. Anyway, I am kind of OBSESSED with jigsaws these days - especially this one particular brand that comes with a poster and are things like “World of Shakespeare” “World of the Brontes” “World of Frankenstein”. OBSESSED. Loving my Poirot jigsaw right now. Sorry if that makes me a bit sad!
NYT Spelling Bee - Other fads have come and gone - Wordle, Quordle, Heardle, Words with Friends etc, but Spelling Bee has remained. There is something sooooo satisfying about attaining Queen Bee status - which I don’t do that often, but when I do I feel sooooo smug I email the screenshot to my whole family and they dutifully replay with “Nice, mum” “Great job” etc. I don’t think they’re at all impressed but it keeps me happy so…. (confession, the photo above of Queen Bee is not from anytime in the past month!).
Word Cloud?
Guys, worst Gratitude Cloud EVER yesterday. I don’t know if it’s because everyone was not feeling remotely grateful or if it was just that everyone was soooo happy it was Friday night that everyone just crashed out and didn’t do it. Hopefully the latter and you were all feeling soooo happy and grateful you just didn’t feel the need! Anyway, I won’t update the word cloud today - I’ll wait to get some more responses and maybe just update the cloud on Sunday nights over the weekend. So, if you fancy taking part, fill out the form below: