Three confessions
1) I’m not putting up a Christmas tree this year. Since we’re leaving for our Tennessee trip the day after Christmas, I don’t want to leave it up while I’m out of town. (I don’t trust those sweet, darling cats of mine!) I’m sad not to have a gorgeous sparkling Christmas tree to enjoy, but I have enough other decorations to keep the place merry and cheerful.
2) Earlier this week, my apartment complex sent me a note that they will start charging a flat rate for our water bill. Previously, it’s been charged by usage and I never paid more than $50 a month. My flat rate will now be $70 and I am so annoyed. But the bright side is that guess who’s about to do the smallest dishwasher and laundry loads she’s ever done? Two baths a day? MAYBE. (I’m joking, of course.)
3) Riddle me this: I don’t like raisins on their own or in oatmeal cookies or in most other forms. But I am obsessed with cinnamon raisin toast, and I eat the raisins in the toast. I find them delicious! How is this possible?!
Three podcasts on my to-be-listened-to list
1) Megacorp – This podcast released in 2022, discussing some of the unethical and downright dangerous practices of Amazon.
2) Corporate Gossip – This podcast is hosted by a brother-and-sister pair and they discuss all sort of crazy and wild corporate news in a gossip-y, fun way.
3) The Crossbow Killer – A true crime mini-series that sounds pretty wild.
Three things I’d like to do in Tennessee
1) Go snow tubing – We’re thinking of spending a day at Ober Gatlinburg and I want to go solely for snow tubing. The last time I went on a winter vacation like this, I was in 6th grade and we had a day where everyone went snow tubing, and I was too scared to try it. I need to do it for 12-year-old me!
2) Spending time in the Smoky Mountains – We’re staying in Sevierville, which is about 20 miles north of the Smoky Mountains. I’ve planned two days of our trip to spend there; once with the dogs (there are two dog-friendly hikes we can do) and once with just us. I’m scoping out very easy hikes for us to do because strenuous hikes are not for me.
3) Lots of lazy cabin nights – We booked such a beautiful cabin and I’m really looking forward to utilizing it to its fullest extent. There’s even a hot tub!
Three favorite game apps
1) Happy Color – My mom just started using this app and now we get to gush about how obsessed we are with it. Yay!
2) Cooking Fever – The app that takes all of my money and I’ve learned to be okay with it.
3) NYT Games – I play Wordle, Connections, Letter Boxed, and Tiles on a daily basis through this app. It’s so much fun!
Three cute things my cats did recently
1) Eloise trying to chase her tail while she sat in a pile of garland.
2) I was sitting on the couch reading and I turned my head to the left to see Lila on her back, staring at me with one of her paws outstretched. She was impossibly adorable and I had to give her all of my love and attention!
3) Every time I walk into my bedroom and they’re sleeping on the bed together. They don’t snuggle with each other, but will sleep in their own spots and I find it so cute.
Three of the highest-rated books on my Goodreads TBR list
1) Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (4.78 stars on 77 ratings) – This book doesn’t come out until 2024 and there are a handful of 5-star ratings from people who have not read the book, but are confident they will give the book 5 stars. So annoying.
2) The Night Parade by Jami Nakamura Lin (4.75 stars on 53 ratings) – This book just came out a week ago, and Jamie Golden gave it a “green light” on The Popcast, so I’m intrigued! It’s a speculative memoir that sounds really intense, but incredible.
3) Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore (4.7 stars on 1,022 ratings) – This book was published two years ago and hasn’t gotten a whole lot of attention, but those who have read the book have loved it. This one isn’t available through Libby or through my library, so it’s one I would have to buy and I haven’t felt particularly inspired to do so.
Three goals I have for 2024
1) Get my nose pierced – This was a goal for the end of 2023, but I don’t think it will happen. That just means it’s a goal for 2024!
2) Go on a solo vacation – I’ve never been on a vacation alone! It’s not cheap to vacation solo (nobody to share the cost of the accommodations!), which is why I haven’t done so. But in 2024, I am going to make a point to take a solo weekend away.
3) Launch a new blog theme – Once my blog recategorization project is complete, I want to find a new blog theme (I use Etsy!) and spruce up this place a bit. I’ve earned it!
Three recent purchases
1) A set of 11×20 black picture frames. (Here’s what I did with them!)
2) A new litter mat for the girls. The one I have now just isn’t working as well as I thought it would, and it’s time for something new.
3) Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap in peppermint scent. Yay for holiday soaps!
Three TV shows I have no interest in watching
1) Sex and the City – I feel like this is the kind of show that you had to watch while it was live and doesn’t exactly hold up in today’s times. I know many people who loved this show, but I think I’m just fine not understanding which SATC character I am.
2) Orange is the New Black – Prison storylines are triggering for me, and a whole show about prison? Nope.
3) Girls – I’m not a Lena Dunham fan and I have no desire to see this TV show.
Three things on my to-do list
1) Fix my clock – Ugh. So, I took my big wall clock down so I could change the time to the correct one. And I guess I didn’t stick the clock back on the wall as firmly as I should have (it’s hung using Command strips), and the wall clock fell off my wall and a sliver of the top section broke off. I can fix it with some wood glue, I think, but ugh, I am so mad at myself!
2) Call maintenance – I need a bunch of things fixed in my apartment (my tub drain, some lighting fixtures, my toilet seat, etc), and I just keep putting off the call to maintenance. And now that I know that one of our maintenance guys is McDreamy-level hot, I’m going to have to make sure I’m looking my best whenever I do make that call. He won’t catch me unaware again!
3) Hang up my floating shelves – I bought a pack of drywall anchors that I can screw into the wall with just a screwdriver (h/t to Elisabeth for alerting me to these products!) so I think I can hang up these shelves myself. I want to give it a try, at least.
What’s a TV show you have no interest in watching?