Category Archives: Miscellaneous

A Staycation with Style

With the exception of this Thursday and next, I’m on a two-week break—finally using up my remaining vacation days before the new fiscal year begins on June 1. Unless travel money miraculously drops into my bank account, this will be a staycation. And honestly, I’m okay with that.

My only real plans for the next couple of weeks are simple ones: I’ll be keeping up with my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday workout sessions with my trainer, and I’ve got dinner plans with a good friend on Friday night. That dinner, in particular, is something I’ve really been looking forward to.

We’re going to the only place around here that serves a wine I truly enjoy: Henri Perrusset Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay, from Burgundy, France. Now, I don’t drink often—maybe the occasional margarita, a vodka cranberry, or a hard cider—but this chardonnay is something special. It’s a bit of an exception for me, since I usually prefer sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, typically French or Italian, with a particular fondness for wines from the Loire Valley.

I’m sure the wine aficionados reading this might cringe at my taste, but I gravitate toward crisp, dry white wines. I’ve never really learned the proper terminology to describe wine, but every time I look up the ones I like, they all seem to fall under that “dry and crisp” category.

The restaurant’s food is good, though maybe not exceptional. I usually order the lobster and shrimp scampi—it’s solid, even if lobster isn’t my favorite seafood. (Let’s be honest, sometimes it feels like restaurants throw lobster into a dish just so they can hike up the price.) What really makes the meal, though, is dessert. Their flourless chocolate cake is rich, dense, and downright decadent. And the cheesecake? Also worth the calories.

I’m also surprisingly looking forward to my workouts. That’s not a sentence I ever expected to write, but here we are. My trainer has found the right balance—he doesn’t push me too hard, knowing I haven’t seriously worked out in years, but he still challenges me just enough. It’s early days, but we’re making real progress. It feels good.

And while food and wine are lovely perks, what I’m most excited about is the simple pleasure of getting dressed up and heading out. I don’t often get the chance to really put together an outfit and enjoy an evening out, so Friday night will be a treat. Good wine, decent food, indulgent dessert, and—most importantly—a great friend whose company I know I’ll thoroughly enjoy.

Staycation or not, it’s shaping up to be a good couple of weeks.


Weekend Ahead

I’m hoping this afternoon will be the beginning of a long weekend. I emailed my boss, who has been on vacation for the last week about taking some of my remaining vacation days. I had asked to take today off, but I did not realize it was a travel day for her. I think she was coming back from a conference in England, but since she doesn’t communicate things like that to us, I’m not completely sure where she had been. Anyway, when I found out she was traveling, I assumed I would not hear back from her. I could have texted her, but I would not have wanted to be bothered on a day when I had been traveling all day. So, when she gets back to work today, I will talk to her about taking this afternoon off. I have a half day that I need to take anyway. I’m already scheduled to be off tomorrow, and I’m going to see about taking Monday off as well. Anyway, we’ll see how that works out. 

If I do take this time off, I’m hoping I can relax and read. We have several rainy days ahead, and I have always loved curling up with a book on a rainy day. I really didn’t have much to say today, but I will post my Isabella pic of the week. I think I have posted this picture before, but it’s one of my favorites:


Not Hating This Monday Morning

Monday mornings usually have a reputation, and let’s be honest—they’ve earned it. The alarm goes off too early, my morning cup of tea never seems strong enough, and I’m just not feeling any motivation. But this Monday? This Monday, I’m not hating at all.

For once, I don’t have to go into work today. I had to switch my off day from Wednesday to Monday this week because I’ve got an event at the museum in the middle of the week. So today, while most of the world is fighting off the Monday blues and rushing off to jobs, meetings, and traffic jams, I’m enjoying the rare pleasure of a quiet morning, guilt-free.

I slept in a bit—not too late, just enough to feel indulgent, but late enough to piss off Isabella. The weather outside is behaving, it’s supposed to be a beautiful sunny day with a high of 71 degrees. My tea tastes like it actually wants to be helpful, and I’ve got absolutely nothing on my to-do list until my appointment with my trainer at 3 pm. That’s right, I’ll be spending my afternoon getting stronger, one rep at a time (with a little side motivation—Neo is easy on the eyes).

There’s something surprisingly luxurious about having a day off when the rest of the world doesn’t. It feels like I’ve been let in on a secret, or like I’m skipping school with permission. It’s not a vacation exactly—but it is a breath. And maybe that’s what I needed more than anything today: a pause, a stretch, a reset.So, for now, I’m going to enjoy this Monday for the anomaly it is—quiet, slow, and entirely mine. I hope wherever you are, you can find a little space for that too.


TGIF

I have been trying to figure out something to write about today, but all I can come up with is that I am so glad it’s Friday. I have a four day weekend (I had to switch my vacation day from Wednesday to Monday, which I prefer anyway). I have no plans this weekend. It’s supposed to be very rainy here today and tomorrow; however, I do have to get out and run some errands this morning. I have an appointment to get my yearly Covid vaccination, and I have an appointment with Neo to begin my workout routine today.

Have a great Weekend Everyone!


Distracted

I guess my mind was elsewhere this morning and I was a bit distracted. I’m not sure by what other than that I made my morning tea and turned on the news. I nearly forgot to write a post for today. Because of that, I don’t have much more to say. It will be a sort of short week. I’m still using up vacation time and will be off Wednesday and Friday. Other than that, there’s nothing exciting to report. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!


Rainy Days and Quiet Plans

Looking at the forecast for the week ahead, it seems the rain has firmly decided to settle in. According to the latest report, we’re looking at steady showers through next Thursday—with chances of rain hovering between 45% and 75%. The temperatures will be cool and fairly consistent, offering the kind of weather that encourages cozy indoor pursuits rather than outdoor adventures.

Honestly, I don’t mind. Final grades for my class have been calculated and recorded, and the busy semester I’ve had is now over. I have no big plans for the weekend. It feels like the perfect time to relax, catch up on some much-needed sleep, and finally spend some quiet hours reading. There’s a certain peace in the soft sounds of rain outside my windows while getting lost in a good book.

Whatever your weekend holds, whether it’s braving the rain, enjoying beautiful spring days or, like me, embracing a slower pace, I wish you a happy, healthy few days ahead. Enjoy the weekend!


Busy Day Ahead

Today is going to be a busy day. I only worked a half day on Monday because of a migraine and had to take a sick day on Tuesday for the same reason. I was off yesterday and will be off tomorrow using up extra vacation time I have to use. So, I basically have a week worth of work to do in one day. I have to finish and submit my grades for the class I taught this semester. I also have the usual emails to answer and paperwork to do. Then, this afternoon, I am leading a workshop, which I do not want to do; however, I was asked and because of who will be attending, I felt like I could not refuse. All of this is more than enough for one day. I’m glad I’ll be off tomorrow and can relax for a bit. Grades will be done, and anything else that needs to be done at work can wait until Monday.

Your Isabella pic of the week is one of my favorites. She was such a cute and sweet kitten:


Monday 😩

I do not want to go to work today. I woke up with a bit of a migraine and would have preferred to stay in bed. However, I have a few things I have to do this morning, but I may leave early if my migraine doesn’t improve.


Free Friday

I am using up one of my vacation days today and had hoped to sleep a bit later than usual. Isabella had a different agenda and, as usual, woke me up at an ungodly hour to feed her. I always have the intention of feeding her and going back to bed, but it rarely works out that way. Luckily, since I have the day off I can take a nap later if I want to.

I have a couple of small errands to run today and a few things to do around my apartment, but otherwise, I plan to either read or write. I’ve had a story developing in my head and I want to “put pen to paper” as the saying goes. It’s more a fun exercise for me than anything else, and I’m enjoying it: the research, the character development, and creating a story.

Anyway, I plan to do some reading, though I also have some grading that needs to be done before grades are due Tuesday. It is highly likely that at some point I’ll be like the guy in the picture:asleep on my bed with the book I was reading by my side.

Have a great weekend, everyone!


Working Thursday

As I wrote this, I am watching the news and about to start getting ready for work. I took a vacation day yesterday trying to use up accumulated vacation time before I lose it at the end of the fiscal year (May 31). I will also be taking a vacation day tomorrow, but today I have to work. I’d have preferred to take my vacation days consecutively, but the schedules of my coworkers does not allow for that. I’m not thrilled about going to work today, but I have a few things I need to do, especially grading for my class before the semester ends. I’m a little behind in my grading.

If anyone was wondering about how the ultrasound went on Monday, they did find some stiffening of my liver which could cause problems later. My doctor said that there isn’t much to worry about at this point because it is still mild and reversible, but he wants to be aggressive in treatment and is sending me to a gastroenterologist. There is one locally, who my doctor says is the best around and has a specialty in liver disease. I don’t have an appointment yet to see this doctor, but my referral has been sent. I was initially very distressed at the results of the ultrasound, and I messaged my doctor asking how worried I should be. He called me and put my mind at ease. I am so fortunate to have a doctor who is so caring and one that I can talk to openly and honestly. I’ve had friendly doctors before, but no one I ever felt as comfortable and as confident with than I do my current doctor. Anyway, I’ll keep you posted when I know more. Right now, there isn’t much to tell.

And finally, here is your Isabella pic of the week. She let me sneak up on her while she was sleeping and take this picture. The first time I tried to take it, she looked up at me with an annoyed expression, but then, went back to sleep as cats so often do.