Category: Distractions

Alphabetically Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing is still on vacation, so here’s an old one.

A – Ambition: To actually be able to retire. That’s not looking likely. And lemme tellya, if Trumpty-Dumpty and Apartheid Clyde try to do anything to Social Security and Medicare, I will join whatever class-action suit needs to be rendered against them.

B – Birthday: October 21

C – Computer: PC, always. Currently a Dell that is 5 years old. I really should buy a new one before any tariffs kick in. Maybe after Christmas but before the coronation.

D – Dream: I love the one I have of Marko Saaresto (front man of Poets of the Fall) in which we’re standing in a famous D.C. bookstore called Kramer’s and he asks me to help him pick out a book for a child relative back in Finland. I pull out my tablet and type in a line from one of his songs–“I’m secretly grateful you’re sharing this moment with me” from “No End, No Beginning”–and he says “thank you” and we pick out a book and then have lunch and people-watch. Now pardon me if I cry for a second because I was supposed to be at this concert and one in Manchester with my friend Tracy while on vacation in England for a week, but my heart attack said otherwise.

E – Exercise: Cardiokickboxing, interval training, interval treadmill, and The Firm because I’m old school like that.

F – Favorite Food: Today it’s grapes. Tomorrow it might be something else.

G – Garden: Would love to have one. Wouldn’t love to work on it.

H – Hobby: Coloring. And I still have not finished that stupid snowflake!

I – Idol: Joaquin Phoenix. His compassion for animals humbles me.

J – Job: Health writer. Oh, excuse me, I write for clinicians so they’re calling people like me medical journalists now.

K – Kids: Too gamey.

L – Location: Virginia

M – Military: Should only be deployed as a last resort.

N – Name or Nickname: T-bird

O – Optimist or Pessimist: Cynical optimist. Yes, there is such a thing. Ever hear of “plan for the worst but hope for the best?”

P – Pets: I miss mine.

Q – Quote: I hate writing. I love having written. — Dorothy Parker

R – Reads: Mystery, horror, historical.

S – School: Gee Dubya, Class of ’88.

T – Travel: Yes, please.

U – Unfulfilled ambition: One day I will get some fiction published. Or poetry. Or something other than journalism.

V – Vacation spot: I used to love ski resorts. No idea now. I haven’t had a real vacation where I go somewhere far away for at least week in years. Many years. Might have been my honeymoon in 2001. I can’t remember. See: crying, above.

W – Wardrobe: Mostly athletic wear for hiking and the gym.

X – X-tra facts about me: White people say my eyes are brown. People of color say my eyes are hazel. People of color are correct.

Y – Years online: 25

Z – Zodiac sign: Libra sun, Aquarius moon, Sagittarius rising.

Well, that was fun!

A few entries ago, I wrote of my mother’s mistaken belief that Emperor Penguins were six feet tall. Speaking of huge penguins…

I wonder if Pesto will ski, like today’s ornament, one of my new ones from this year.

A Christmas ornament featuring a skiing penguin.

Cardinal Virtue

It’s time for another Sunday Stealing! This is another random one from in the past, being that Sunday Stealing is on vacation for the rest of the year.

1.    Have you ever written to a celebrity?  Did they respond?

I wrote to Paul Stanley once. Nope, no response. It’s weird that I wrote to him and not Ace Frehley, though. Ace was my favorite.

 2.  Do you read letters immediately, or wait until ready to reply?

I don’t get letters or personal emails. I check work email two or three times a day and respond as necessary. A lot of employers out there expect immediate responses to emails, as did a former boss, but I can’t work that way. Writing requires chunks of uninterrupted time.

 3.   My preferences when it comes to reading:

Fiction, and my favorite genres are mystery, historic, and horror.

 4.   What I’m least likely to change my mind about:

The incoming US President. He’s disgusting through and through.

 5.   The topics I would get wrong about during trivia:

Sports, architectural styles, theater, cars.

 6.   What I’m hopeful about right now:

Not a whole heck of a lot, actually. The USA is heading for dark days. I’m glad I’m not a young woman. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy in the current political environment.

 7.   Philosophies I’ve learned/embraced from others:

I’m self-seeking and prefer Buddhist philosophy. Stoicism is a close second. They overlap in a lot of places.

 8.   What makes home feel like home?

Color. I cannot STAND the whole “beige aesthetic.” It’s boring and lacks imagination. I will always have blue couches and sofas. I will always have at least one room with some purple (currently have three). I will always have another room with shades of red (currently my office). My tree will always have colored lights.

 9.    Talents and skills I like to cultivate:

My rapport with other living creatures. I like knowing that they trust me and will often pick me out of a group of people to approach. Maybe they sense that I won’t try to eat them, like I pass the vegetarian smell test.
 
10.   What makes my heart race:

Too much sugar and/or caffeine.

11.  What power means to me:

The ability to walk away from things that don’t serve me and people who make life harder than it has to be. Hence my swearing off dating and relationships. They sap my energy. The last 10 years weren’t always easy, but they were a lot more peaceful than any time in my life with a man was. If I didn’t have to deal with the Wicked Witch of the West for a supervisor for five and a half of the last six years, I’d have had things pretty rootin’ tootin’ easy.

12.  Some of my comfort hobbies:

Coloring. Ha, still haven’t finished that snowflake. Just haven’t had the time. Vegan baking. Binge-watching documentary series about archeology or space. Latch-hook.

13.  Last time I was pleasantly surprised:

My midyear review at work. Seems my current supervisor thinks more highly of my work than I do.

14.   How was October 2024?

Busy but good. Celebrated my birthday with people, which is something I don’t usually do barring a brunch with one of my friends. This one was special, though, as I made it for a full year after my heart attack.

15.   Those who inspire my growth:

The Buddha, Dōgen, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius.

My favorite backyard bird is the Northern Cardinal. The male’s bright red and the female’s red-tipped wings and tail lift my spirits, and I think their songs are the most beautiful of all songbirds. When I sent holiday cards they usually had Northern Cardinals on them, and I have a cute little holiday dish towel with a Northern Cardinal on it, part of a set that also has a red towel with Mourning Doves and a green towel with a Chickadee on it.

A dish towel featuring a Northern Cardinal bird on a pine branch with pine cones.

Yet oddly enough, I didn’t have any Christmas ornaments with a Northern Cardinal on it–until now. Presenting this year’s ornament:

A Christmas ornament featuring a Northern Cardinal bird and the year 2024.

The was the only one of its kind at Macy’s when I bought a bunch of ornaments, so I consider it fate. Most Northern Cardinal decor is red like the male, but I love the female’s coloring just as much, if not more. Look how pretty she is!

A female Northern Cardinal on a branch.
Image: Timothy Abraham.

Come to think of it, the image above might have to be my laptop wallpaper for January, even though DesktopNexus seems to have returned.

Before I go, have some Northern Cardinal song:

And now to put fresh sheets on the bed and wait for my clothes to dry. Envy the rich tapestry of my life, won’t you?

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing is on vacation, so I did an old one I clicked on at random. I also forgot to post this last night so as soon as I post it, I will post another. Double the fun!

I am looking forward to:

My week off at the end of the month. I need it desperately.

Least favorite words:

Moist. It just sounds gross.

Demure. No, I don’t care about the meme. I’ve hated that word since the teachers in high school said that if our dresses were not “sufficiently demure,” we wouldn’t be allowed in at prom. It was 1984. Little did the teachers know what prom dresses in 2024 would look like.

Lovemaking. It’s the Drakkar Noir of terms for sex: Too much and used by smarmy guys. It’s sex. SEX, okay? SEX. You can use the word SEX.

If I ruled the world:

People wouldn’t be allowed to use the three words above.

Favorite websites and blogs:

They’re personal journals and I don’t blab secrets.

Things I do for myself:

Work out. Avoid the sun. Don’t smoke. Eat right (or try to). Pursue hobbies. Maintain a social circle.

Weekly rituals:

I don’t really have any, unless you count laundry.

DIYs I want to try:

I don’t have any in mind. Every once in a while I get the urge to buy a piece of furniture to put together but that’s about it.

On my shopping list:

Canned vegetables. No joke. I live in the D.C. area. I sense unrest coming when he gets in there. I wouldn’t be surprised if the country ends up under martial law at some point. I’ve already started stocking up. Fresh and frozen will go bad after some time in the event of a power outage. Canned veggies you just have to rinse and eat.

Places to see in your town:

In my county, Arlington National Cemetery. In D.C., the Smithsonian museums, the monuments, the Kennedy Center, and all the fun non-touristy places I’d take you to if only you’d come to visit your Auntie Zen.

Road trip must-haves:

Powdered or chocolate-covered mini-donuts. I don’t know why, but it’s not a road trip unless you have those.

Guilty pleasures:

I don’t believe in those. Anything you enjoy is a bit of self-care, whether it’s sleeping late, reading trashy fiction, or eating dessert. Despite what certain religions tell you, we are not here to suffer.

Things I’d rather be doing right now:

Skiing. Hiking. Stargazing out in a meadow. Birdwatching. Burning down the patriarchy.

Books I’d like to read this year:

Let’s go with next year.

The Eric Carr Story, by Greg Prato. about the second drummer for Kiss, who just seemed like a really cool guy. He died too young, just 40 years old, the same day Freddie Mercury died.

The Serpent and the Pearl and The Lion and the Rose, both by Kate Quinn. She did a great job with the Empress of Rome series, so I’d love to see how she handles the Borgias.

And this bad boy right  here, as I’ve never read any Lovecraft and the few oddball pages I’ve skimmed here and there look fantastic.

A book, The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales by H.P. Lovecraft.

Lessons learned:

Take people as they are, or don’t take them.

You don’t owe anyone any explanations for your choices in life, such as whether to date, marry, or have children; whether you have a religion; who you voted for; your career path or lack thereof; and how you spend your free time. Add how you spend your money to that if you’re single and kid-free.

Shared DNA does not imply family.

No job is worth sacrificing your health, peace, relationships, or interests for.

The United States is not the greatest country in the world. I don’t know which one is, but we’re definitely NOT.

Vacations to take:

Italy. Finland. France. Wherever my hiking group decides to go. Right now Bulgaria seems to be hot. Would like to see more of Poland. England. Germany. Norway. The Netherlands. Iceland. Austria. Hungary. I could go on.

I’ve given up on posting a snowflake a day. I’ll post them as I finish them. As for Christmas, here are some poinsettias from the staff lounge at work. Note how there is no t after the n in poinsettia. That’s one of those holiday-related peeves of mine.

Poinsettias on a holiday table.