brace yourselves

Snow is nigh according to latest weather forecasts. This clip above of Robert Frost reciting his poem is an invaluable treasure--an auditory and cognitive balm that is bittersweet. As the younger millenials would say, it gives me the feels.

On the topic of snow and this season of premature sunsets (sadness inducing), I had to take deep breaths during these past few days due to being overcome by unexpected yet unavoidable events. Like an Energizer Bunny fueled by its compulsion to check off lists and do stuff but caged within a physical space. As I write this as a form of mental release and to obliterate the limits of the physical, I am hopeful that the next part of this tiny experience is The Average. I like the average, and I've alluded to this in the past. Like I'm going through life as if hiking on my designated path (I chose 'designated' because it's convenient, and I know I will sound like I embrace determinism, but I will stay in my zone of dumbness where I state 'I do not know'), and majority of the path involves a relatively flat paved road where treading is not difficult (The Average). Then there are those parts of the path with walkalators, where everything is just super fine and dandy (Better than The Average). There are also those parts with treadmills in varying degrees of speed and incline (Below Average) and the band OK Go appears out of nowhere singing their song 'Here it goes again' and doing treadmill choreography to accompany your struggle.
Then there are those parts of the path that are obstacle courses a la American Ninja Warrior (Worse than The Average)--where I am an out of shape librarian type woman and I fall down some pit so frequently yet still carry on, because there is no time limit and I can only go forward because of rules in the universe. Where am I right now? Maybe in the average-leaning section of the Below Average spectrum. Like this section:



In other news, here's an AI-generated image of a smoothie. It's grayish because that's how I like it. I'm kidding. It's how the color ends up when you mix a banana, a scoop of chocolate protein powder, flaxseed meal, powdered peanut butter, frozen kale, frozen blueberries, and unsweetened almond milk. There you go, a smoothie recipe for your consideration. Adjust to taste.

cozy activities

...and self-soothing strategies. I have written and deleted this following section of this post a few times, because I initially wanted to go on a tirade about how my morning started (travails related to vehicle parking during a holiday parade day). Over it. Hakuna matata. I wrote the words, experienced catharsis, and avoided regret. How wonderful is the ability to edit, eh? If we could only have the same kind of backspace/delete/ctrl+X/track changes capability with our real lives, wouldn't that be great? No? You don't think so? Life will be boring, you say? Alright, I get it. Our mistakes are as important as the right choices we've made in leading us to this very moment. Even the most incremental modification...like the difference between 0.506 and 0.506127 (famous numbers by Mr. Lorenz and the butterly effect) can lead to drastically different outcomes. Anyway, let's instead think about Timon and Pumbaa and their problem-free philosophy...

Meanhwile, the bucolic old lady in me has returned to repursue some crafting. I am quite proud of a matching off-white beanie and cowl I made about 2 holidays ago. I saw a skein of the perfect shade of purple (or violet?) so I am attempting to make another beginner hat. Good luck to me. I hope this was entertaining and wasn't a complete waste of your reading time. 

indisposed

'Tis a day of herbal tea with a slice of lemon, slow cooker soup, fleece pajamas, and naps. How has your week been? My recent inspirational statement is from Philippians 4:6. Also, I've been enjoying holiday playlists and seasonal radio channels. I'm sharing with you a playlist that's been on my library for a while and have been playing:

Here's to taking care of our bodies and minds so we can recover and carry on with whatever purpose we've been tasked in this life...a verbose and dramatic way of saying that if and when unwell, rest.

Despite the unfortunate events, it's still a lovely day. Cheers.

{p.s. I'm enjoying being able to embed Spotify widgets, as you can see...}

It's "The Holiday" Season

If you haven't seen the film "The Holiday", I urge you to watch it if you're inclined to see a classic feel-good holiday romantic comedy. It has lovely story lines and the soundtrack is fantastic! I decided to write this post after finding out that one of the scores I enjoyed the most in the film (embedded above, specifically at 1:40-1:53) was by Hans Zimmer (Interstellar). In fact, Mr. Zimmer composed most of the tracks in the soundtrack--and I realized that he's really good at composing melodies that tug the heartstrings. My husband loves this film and we've wept (happy-cried) uninhibitedly during the times we've seen it. It's as re-watchable as "Love Actually", "Notting Hill", "You've Got Mail", or "Kate and Leopold" (among other nice classic romantic comedies). Jude Law and Cameron Diaz were absolutely adorable in the film. Jack Black's character was very likeable (crush-able 😄) and Kate Winslet was so cute and relatable (I love the way she was styled in the film). Here's another score from the film, which was perfectly titled to accompany the story line of the characters Iris (Kate Winslet) and Jasper (Rufus Sewell)--a mixture of unrequited love and heartbreak (I like 0:43-0:57 and sorry for the spoiler).

To conclude this post, here's a nice snapshot of the changing hues of autumn vegetation...