Friday Updates

Here's a random list of updates ... in no particular order.

1.  Finished Something in the Water.  As often happens, the ending was just so-so.  It wrapped everything up with some stretching of believability and a lot of unknowns ... even a possible opening for a second book.  I'd give it a B- ... enjoyable while you read but with an unsatisfactory ending.  I'm looking for the next fiction read.  Stay tuned ...

2.  I started E3.  More experiments.  More fun.  I read the intro chapters, but haven't reached the first experiment.  Stay tuned -- we can "play" together (just when you thought it was over LOL).  In E3, Pam Grout suggests that some of the "asks" can take longer than the 48 hours (this sounds like a book report sentence!!).  Hello, Jen Hatmaker.  I'm still waiting for you to reach out ;)

3.  Date night got postponed.  Both of us on phone calls until around 5 o'clock and we didn't feel like rushing.  (That's why I got so much reading time!)

4.  My call?  Izzy is meeting a couple on Saturday.  Yea, Izzy.  If all goes well with their cats, this will be a fantastic home.  P.S.  Found out yesterday, Isabella (nickname Izzy) is actually her name.  Her previous owner contacted our rescue -- not a good story.  She wants her 2 dogs back, but both were severely neglected and her social media paints a sad picture for the dogs.  She relinquished them to the shelter.  Her friends have been applying to try to get the dogs back.  Sticky situation, but I agree with our rescue.  I also don't think she actually wants them -- I think she wants attention on social media.  If you could see Izzy's brother -- poor sweet old man is a horrible mess (not just for financial reasons either).  Anyway ...

5.  Zoom call with the high school friends.  Yes, it was nice to catch up, but it's a strange dynamic when everyone is in a group.  Talking over each other ... yep.  Birthday girl late to the call because she was baking.  "Host" tied up and late to the call so we couldn't start until she started.  All polite talk to the point of boring.  One on one ... very different.  Guess this happens in a group of woman.  It WAS nice to catch up and we're going to do this monthly through the quarantine.  To be fair, it's hard to REALLY deep talk during a group video call.

6.  Zoom call today with one of my favorites.  Our FaceTime gets moved a lot, so I'm not completely sure it's happening ... but hopefully.

7.  I did some batch cooking yesterday in the InstantPot.  Honey soy chicken and a beef/chicken chili.  Both are easy recipes I saw on Instagram stories -- and I happened to have what's needed.  I used up some ground beef and frozen chicken tenders from the freezer.  I don't usually freeze raw meat, but I bought non-organic chicken for a foster dog and then didn't use it all (Costco packs are huge).  It was time to get the raw meat out of the freezer and used up.  Nothing to waste these days.

8.  I listened to Brooke Castillo's lastest podcast.  On point for my 50th birthday butt kick.  She talks about isolating this quarantine time in your mind ... 3 months, second quarter of the year (Q2).  Use Q2 wisely so when the second quarter is finished, we feel like SOMETHING moved forward.  Still allowing bad days, meltdowns, emotions, etc.  A list of small things or one big thing.  Proving to ourselves we can do things in hard seasons.  Organize the pantry.  Meditate.  Read a book.  Things like this (or one big thing ... I like the little list though).  It reminds me of what Gretchen Rubin says.  "We can accept ourselves AND expect more of ourselves."

9.  I stopped the Yale online class.  Barely got started.  I lost interest and never went back.  Yale dropout -- oh well.  BUT ... I am signed up for a webinar from Jen Hatmaker on April 30.  If you have tickets to the postponed live event OR pre-ordered her book (me!!), you can sign up for free.  Brene Brown is one of the speakers.  Fantastic.  I think the offer ends on Monday because her book releases on Tuesday.

10.  To end on a nice round number.  Just TWO deliberate workouts and my body is tired and sore.  Guess I was really dipping low into effort for the last few weeks.  I'm glad to be back to focused workouts -- mentally and physically.  Looks like I spent much of March in a funk (probably more than I realized) -- time to haul myself up and DO BETTER - hah!

Stay well.  Later gators.