It would be very much easier to tell you the things that made me unhappy this week. There were quite a few. But who needs that right?
Sunday, a nice brunch with my book group (where you know who dominated the talk) and a nice dinner with eight good friends (same topic). How can we not talk about what now dominates our life.
I am going to leave it at this. I am very grateful that I have you, some of you stopping by for many years now. I am happy you are willing to share your lives with me. The books you read, the music you listen to, the movies and TV shows you like, the family you share your lives with, all of them are now part of my life. Thanks for being a friend.
What about you?
18 comments:
Sounds as though you had some nice get-togethers this past week, Patti, and I'm glad for you.
I am happy the Buffalo Bills won a wild game in a blizzard yesterday over the plucky Colts!
I'm happy Patrick is flying to Singapore today to attend a GOOGLE conference. Travel, at his age, is the best education.
Like, you, I'm happy about seeing family and friends during this Holiday season.
And I'm happy for your blog that brings us together!
I hope he takes advantage of being in Singapore and sees things.
Thanks, Margot.
We leave the 13th, Jeff and yay for Jackie.
Jeffrey Meyerson has left a new comment on your post "Things That Make Me Happy":
I have to agree. This was not the greatest week. However, there were good things.
First and foremost, after a year of pain, Jackie had a quick, easy, thankfully minor procedure on her thumb for the tendinitis that has made it painful to do so many things, including holding books open (which is why she's been trying to read as many ebooks as possible). In a few weeks it should be back to normal.
I've mentioned the story to some of a book I didn't buy on a trip to England years ago because I foolishly assumed I'd be able to pick it up in London rather than having to lug it around the countryside for 2-3 weeks, only to never see another copy. And my library system doesn't have it. Anyway, I finally found a paperback edition online and got it for $7.15. It was in Martin Gilbert's series of books about Winston Churchill, PROPHET OF TRUTH: WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, 1922-1939.
And lastly, despite the rotten turn in the weather (including a few inches of snow on Saturday and a visit to the Deep Freeze this week), we have less than four weeks until we leave for Florida.
Maybe not so happy but grateful over the past week. Hearing about Bill Crider was a definite downer. But, I ended up subscribing to his last post and reading all the comments of people who, like me, appreciate Crider certainly made me feel better. I hope Crider read them all. I'll be sending him a card later today and I hope it gets to him.
My father has been in the hospital and his health is gradually failing. I was able to drive down to IL and spend the weekend. I am grateful that my mother is in good shape and able to spend so much time at the hospital. I am also very grateful my brother was able to fly out from Seattle a week ago and is able to stay through Christmas and do overnight stays and everything else needed.
I'm also grateful my parents have enough earnings, pension, insurance, Medicaid, etc. to cover the costs of the care.
Here is something happy: my dog. According to my wife the dog moped around all weekend while I was gone. The dog was very excited when I got back last night.
Can't be too happy about the cold weather that moved in but it is December and is too be expected.
Happy for some good new and old music. The Rolling Stones BBC recordings from the mid 60's containing mostly R&B covers was just released. The new cd's by Beck and The National.
Happy for Netflix. Been binge watching Dark and Godless. Godless features a very good performance by Jeff Daniels. Next season of Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror coming up soon.
Many good new books out by Peter May, Garry Disher, Peter Lovesey and Timothy Hallinan.
Looking forward to seeing The Disaster Artist today or tomorrow, and The Shape of Water when it opens here.
We saw THE DISASTER ARTIST but its charms eluded up. Maybe you need to be a fan of THE ROOM. We are watching GODLESS too. DARK was too DARK for us. Can't bear to watch children being tortured. Maybe it let up.
Dog love is a wonderful thing. Although I have never experienced it.
It's been cold here on the Florida Panhandle -- in the 40s and dipping occasionally down to the 30s. As a New Englander, this was beach weather but Floridians take a darker view. A few flakes of snow outside the building where my daughter works brought the local television news cameras out at one a.m. There was thin layer of ice on my windshield this morning and frost on the ground and on some roofs. Although we've lived in moderate or southern climes for the past 25 years, I have always considered myself a recalcitrant Yankee but the effect of going out this morning in shorts had made me think some of the South is beginning to stick to me.
The whole family stopped by yesterday afternoon and Jessamyn and Amy made potato soup while Ceili and Jack whipped up some peppermint brownies (Jack's help consisted of licking the spoon -- a task he handled magnificently). Perfect for a chilly afternoon. Mark was just notified of his acceptance to the University of West Florida (where they have a marine biology degree and where the track coach has expressed interest in him). Ceili graduates next Sunday. We talked and laughed and Ceili cut Kitty's and Jack's hair.
I'm happy that I have a chance to contribute to Bill Crider Day on your blog and that so many will be talking about Bill's work and the man himself, although I feel none of us can do true justice as to what a wonderful and giving person he is. Thank you so much for spearheading this, Patti.
I just finished/enjoyed the latest Jack Reacher and passed it on to my youngest daughter. I'm finally starting Joe Hill's collection STRANGE WEATHER and it looks to be a darn good one.
Christina's cat, Willow, has been re-homed to our place for a few months now. She's ten years old and was beginning to be stressed by all the other animals and noise over at Christina's. She has settled in very nicely and rests on top of the sofa over Kitty's head or snuggles up against me on the sofa. Christina and Erin give her lots of love when they come over, so Willow is a very happy cat now. It makes all of us happy to see that. Don't like it when an animal is stressed and unhappy.
Binge-watched the first two season of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE and enjoyed it much more than I thought.
I hope the coming week is a much better for you, Patti. I love reading about the things that make you happy.
HAPPY:
- Weather cold (30s) but clear and sunny, with some wind, but very pretty.
- Starting to decorate the house for Christmas, I'm making the adjustment to an artificial tree for the first time ever, but it was sure easy to lift and put up compared to the real thing.
- My left eye continues to improve (20-20 distance), and now I wonder how I got along with the cataracts. Right eye in 21st, then, perhaps, just reading glasses.
- I've finished my Christmas shopping, and have only to wrap the gifts for Barbara.
NOT HAPPY:
- Bill Crider's failing health.
- My glucose numbers have been uneven (blame Christmas cookies and lack of will power).
- I have to wrap Barbara's Christmas gifts. I am TERRIBLE at wrapping, one of those people who uses three times as much Scotch Tape as most people, and the packages still look like that were wrapped by a creature without thumbs.
Gee, you people cheer me up. That's what I mean.
I have a much easier time talking about what I am not happy about, so I always have to push myself to say something here. Don't know why that is...
This week I will agree with Gerard and say I am grateful. We have a fire bearing down upon us (Thomas fire in CA), not threatening yet but close enough to be very uncomfortable in many ways. But the fire reminds me to be grateful for all the happiness I do have, especially my family.
We're watching GODLESS too, but I don't get where they're going with Jeff Daniels' character. Also watching THE CROWN, STRANGER THINGS (needs to bring Eleven back into it), LONGMIRE, and season one of THE WEST WING, which is just like the Trump administration, right?
Rick, I was always an excellent wrapper all the years of doing books to mail. I have a very good eye as to how much paper you need and rarely cut too much or (worse ) too little.
On Amazon, we're really enjoying THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL.
I'll jump on the TV bandwagon. I've been rewatching COMRADE DETECTIVE on Amazon and enjoy that show quite a bit. I hope they produce a second season because it is a fun show.
I started watching LONGMIRE again and I mostly enjoy it.
I've worked my way through several seasons of TRAILER PARK BOYS. When I first read about the show is sounded God awful but has some things i find very funny.
Love the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
LONGMIRE ended strongly if surprisingly.
My son watched WEST WING over in over in the hopes that will make it come true.
I enjoyed Longmire. At least they could wrap it up neatly knowing it was the last season. Nothing is worse than cancelling a show and leaving it unfinished. Carnivale for one.
Watched the first episode of Mrs. Maisel. Didn't do it for me.
Rick, if I lived closer to Portland I'd come over and wrap as many presents for you as I could. I'm an ace. And I unabashedly admit that I love to wrap presents. Buying them...well, that's a whole other ball of wax.
I could only watch one season of MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE doing my best not to be thoroughly irritated by two of the actors (one man, one woman). I loved THE HANDMAID'S TALE and SNEAKY PETE. Looking forward to season two for both. On the other hand, I loathed almost everything about what little I saw of AMERICAN GODS. Obscenely violent and repulsive most of the time, inexplicable and infuriating for the rest. Endured only three episodes.
I'm currently in New York for my birthday and in theater heaven. We'll be seeing THE BAND'S VISIT, SWEENEY TODD (eating real meat pies in the theater's working pie shop prior to the show!), and a one man comedy called BRIGHT COLORS AND BOLD PATTERNS that got raves and looks like a hoot. Earlier tonight we risked the Tkts booth choices and bought tickets to THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG and I was thoroughly surprised. So much better than I expected. It's a brilliant piece of farcical, intensely physical (often athletic) theater the likes I've not enjoyed since the days of "The Carol Burnett Show." That it was also a spoof of the kind of Golden Age murder mystery I so adore was just icing on the cake.
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