Thursday, December 23, 2021

Currently (almost Christmas edition)


Reading:

This is my book club’s selection for January. I actually finished it between the time I started this post and the time I hit publish. I’m now deciding what to read next. I kind of want to finish the year with something great, but it can’t be forced! Every book is a gamble!

Watching:


I just started rewatching the BBC Les Miserables mini series. The first time I watched it, I didn’t like it. I’m not sure why. But I’m liking it much better this time. It tells a lot more of the story than the movies and the musical do. I’m not faulting the movies or the musical - after all, how can you cram 1400+ pages of literature into two to three hours? But there are some great parts of the story that you miss in the movies and the musical; Petit Gervais and the coin, for example. And the history between Marius’ father and Thenardier. And the fact that Gavroche is the Thenardiers’ son (which is never mentioned in the musical). And Cosette’s dad (Felix) was with Fantine until Cosette was two years old. 

I wish there could be a combination of the mini series and the musical - the best of both worlds!

I had to read the unabridged version of Les Mis for AP English and spent all of my senior year studying and writing essays about it, so Les Mis is pretty engrained in my soul, and I love it! I hated studying it in school, but now with hindsight and a bit of maturity under my belt, I have the utmost appreciation for the story and for Ms. Heart for making us read it. She promised that any essay topic we were given for the AP test could be addressed with Les Mis, and she was absolutely right (though out of stubbornness, I refused to use Les Mis in any of my essays). 

Dreading: snow. 

Wearing: my sleep clothes. I’m blogging from my bed again.

Listening to: “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John. I’m digging it. It has such a classic Elton flair to it once that piano gets going.

Singing: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!”

Buying: nothing. Please don’t make me to to any stores this week. Whatever it is… we will survive without it. 

Craving: nothing. I haven’t felt hungry in over a month.

Needing: some sleep and a good cry.

Daydreaming about: January 3 when the kids go back to school. Ten more days. 

Regretting: spreading a bit of hot gossip that I should have kept confidential this week. It was so juicy, though! 

Annoyed by: a LOT of things. I’m not very pleasant right now. Christmas break has me on edge, and I’m irritable beyond repair. I’ve responded very poorly to a few annoyances this week - to the point of possibly destroying some relationships.

Playing: Minesweeper. Sometimes you just need to stick with a classic (though I always accidentally refer to it as Minecraft). 

Working on: getting the house clean for Christmas. Today I attacked the laundry. 

Procrastinating: delivering a few Christmas gifts. I have some that I intended to distribute last week, but every day I tell myself, “I’ve still got time!” Then all of a sudden it’s Christmas Eve, I really need to get those gifts out!

Loving: puzzle season!

Here are a few we’ve finished recently:



I’m currently working on a Haunted Mansion puzzle and having a blast!

Worried about: snow interfering with some upcoming plans.

Looking forward to: not having any Church meetings or activities this week.

Eating: raw cookie dough. I have a big container of it in the fridge, and I just can’t help myself. I love cookie dough!

Struggling with: my new church calling. 

Thinking about: possible resolutions for 2022. 

Learning: a lot about myself and some things I need to change about my character and behavior. Ever trying to improve, but usually falling short - that’s how I roll!

Trying: to save money, but wow! It’s sure hard at Christmastime. I am a sucker for Christmas shopping. I want to buy all the things for all the people… including myself. 

Enjoying: not having to drive my kids to and from school and extracurricular activities (there’s one perk of Christmas break!)

Feeling: a bit ousted. I feel like I’m outside looking in in many areas of life right now. “Tap, tap, tapping on the glass. I’m waving through a window.”

Grateful for: all of it. The other morning I was sitting in my living room with the tree lights on, and I was thinking about all of my blessings, and I realized… I have it all. I really, truly have it all. And I feel so grateful… and kind of guilty… but grateful.



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