The Distracted Woman's Daybook (47)
The Distracted Woman's Daybook
(idea based on one by Peggy Hostetler; concept revision by Angie Brennan; other changes are mine)
In my front yard... the little bit of snow deposited on the grass and sidewalk by what was supposed to be our Big Bad Storm has, due to insanely low morning-after temperatures, frozen practically solid. I found the drive to work very manageable, but the walk from my house to the car was fraught with danger.
Around the house... are the usual papers to sort through. I am in the middle of a big sorting task in the living room, meaning that one corner of each couch is unable to be sat upon.
In the kitchen... are many Weight-Watchers -friendly meals and menu items. I have been very faithful and am set to cross the "minus twenty pounds" milestone at my next weigh-in. Yay, me!
I am pondering... weight, and why it's important to people what they (and others) weigh. I *should* care about my weight for reasons having to do with health and ease of movement. I *actually* care about my weight because I know that the world (especially heterosexual men, looking at women) judges fat people harshly for their appearance, and I would like to escape that stigma.
I am hoping... that I'm not being over-confident about that 20-pound thing. But last week I hit minus-19 even, and so far there hasn't been a week in which I've not lost a pound or more.
I am learning... to get by with less food. But I don't know that this is a lesson I'm capable of grasping completely. My past behavior, vis-à-vis attempting to change my eating habits permanently, suggests that I am not.
I am thankful for... the impending end of winter. It was not a harsh one overall, but I'm still ready for Spring.
I am wearing... grey trousers and a teal twinset. Work clothes.
I am creating... nothing right now. All my energy is going into dieting, teaching, and worrying about money.
I am going... to start saving for 2018's vacation this summer instead of spending the $$ on a New York trip, say my sons. They want to go to Los Angeles next time, and we live in Maryland, so much saving will be required.
I am reading... more Mr. & Mrs. North books, and I'm enjoying them! By pure chance, the last three I read were blessedly light on the sort of awkward 1940s references (regarding race, gender, and class) that make me glad, when I find them in old popular fiction, that I live when I do. (Does that sound arrogant and chronologically chauvinistic? Believe me, I know that these times are also very troubled, and that I am far from perfect when it comes to respecting others.)
I've been watching... TV, of course, but also movies. In long stretch since I last did one of these Daybooks, I was trying, with Number Two Son, to watch as many of 2016's Oscar-nominated movies as possible in advance of the broadcast. We saw La La Land, Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Arrival, and Manchester By the Sea and liked them all a lot. I'd've been happy with either La La or Moonlight as best picture, though of course I felt bad about how things went down at the ceremony. *My* suggestion, for next time? No more old people as presenters! (I know, I know; the mix-up was an accountant's fault. Still, any on-the-ball adult should've known to call for help upon opening that obviously wrong envelope.)
I've been listening to... my new selections from Audible.com, where I have a free trial membership ... and I am being reminded of how bad I am at audio books. When listening in the car (which is the whole reason audio books exist!), I am very easily distracted by the demands of driving, and since the books aren't literally "on tape," I can't do a quick rewind to catch up.
I am looking forward to... three days off next week. My two colleges don't have the same Spring Break this year, so I got Tues. & Thurs. off this week and will get Mon., Wed., & Fri. next. It's not ideal, but days off are days off.
One of my favorite things... is Sherlock Holmes. I was the presenter at my local Sherlockian group's last monthly meeting, and my program (which comprised some poems and a song that were hits when I did them in NYC in the past) was warmly received.
My plans for the rest of the week... include paper-grading and, well, just maybe starting to think about filing my income taxes.
A quote for today..., held over from last week's Friday Five. I'm still loving this snippet from A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories:
"Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you." -- Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)
In fact, I'm thinking of having it put on a coffee mug.
Here is a video I am sharing with you... It's more Winnie-the-Pooh stuff; specifically, more Fraser-Simson settings of Milne's poems. This time, mid-20th-C. American vocalist Frank Luther is the singer. The recordings date from the 1940s, and I understand that Luther was, around this time, regarded in the industry as the premier singer of children's music in English. Maybe I'm a little more tolerant of his non-British-ness because I'm also American, but I must say I like his easy, light, not-at-all precious renditions of these pieces much better than some of the oh-so-proper ones I've heard over the years.
(idea based on one by Peggy Hostetler; concept revision by Angie Brennan; other changes are mine)
In my front yard... the little bit of snow deposited on the grass and sidewalk by what was supposed to be our Big Bad Storm has, due to insanely low morning-after temperatures, frozen practically solid. I found the drive to work very manageable, but the walk from my house to the car was fraught with danger.
Around the house... are the usual papers to sort through. I am in the middle of a big sorting task in the living room, meaning that one corner of each couch is unable to be sat upon.
In the kitchen... are many Weight-Watchers -friendly meals and menu items. I have been very faithful and am set to cross the "minus twenty pounds" milestone at my next weigh-in. Yay, me!
I am pondering... weight, and why it's important to people what they (and others) weigh. I *should* care about my weight for reasons having to do with health and ease of movement. I *actually* care about my weight because I know that the world (especially heterosexual men, looking at women) judges fat people harshly for their appearance, and I would like to escape that stigma.
I am hoping... that I'm not being over-confident about that 20-pound thing. But last week I hit minus-19 even, and so far there hasn't been a week in which I've not lost a pound or more.
I am learning... to get by with less food. But I don't know that this is a lesson I'm capable of grasping completely. My past behavior, vis-à-vis attempting to change my eating habits permanently, suggests that I am not.
I am thankful for... the impending end of winter. It was not a harsh one overall, but I'm still ready for Spring.
I am wearing... grey trousers and a teal twinset. Work clothes.
I am creating... nothing right now. All my energy is going into dieting, teaching, and worrying about money.
I am going... to start saving for 2018's vacation this summer instead of spending the $$ on a New York trip, say my sons. They want to go to Los Angeles next time, and we live in Maryland, so much saving will be required.
I am reading... more Mr. & Mrs. North books, and I'm enjoying them! By pure chance, the last three I read were blessedly light on the sort of awkward 1940s references (regarding race, gender, and class) that make me glad, when I find them in old popular fiction, that I live when I do. (Does that sound arrogant and chronologically chauvinistic? Believe me, I know that these times are also very troubled, and that I am far from perfect when it comes to respecting others.)
I've been watching... TV, of course, but also movies. In long stretch since I last did one of these Daybooks, I was trying, with Number Two Son, to watch as many of 2016's Oscar-nominated movies as possible in advance of the broadcast. We saw La La Land, Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Arrival, and Manchester By the Sea and liked them all a lot. I'd've been happy with either La La or Moonlight as best picture, though of course I felt bad about how things went down at the ceremony. *My* suggestion, for next time? No more old people as presenters! (I know, I know; the mix-up was an accountant's fault. Still, any on-the-ball adult should've known to call for help upon opening that obviously wrong envelope.)
I've been listening to... my new selections from Audible.com, where I have a free trial membership ... and I am being reminded of how bad I am at audio books. When listening in the car (which is the whole reason audio books exist!), I am very easily distracted by the demands of driving, and since the books aren't literally "on tape," I can't do a quick rewind to catch up.
I am looking forward to... three days off next week. My two colleges don't have the same Spring Break this year, so I got Tues. & Thurs. off this week and will get Mon., Wed., & Fri. next. It's not ideal, but days off are days off.
One of my favorite things... is Sherlock Holmes. I was the presenter at my local Sherlockian group's last monthly meeting, and my program (which comprised some poems and a song that were hits when I did them in NYC in the past) was warmly received.
My plans for the rest of the week... include paper-grading and, well, just maybe starting to think about filing my income taxes.
A quote for today..., held over from last week's Friday Five. I'm still loving this snippet from A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories:
"Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you." -- Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)
In fact, I'm thinking of having it put on a coffee mug.
Here is a video I am sharing with you... It's more Winnie-the-Pooh stuff; specifically, more Fraser-Simson settings of Milne's poems. This time, mid-20th-C. American vocalist Frank Luther is the singer. The recordings date from the 1940s, and I understand that Luther was, around this time, regarded in the industry as the premier singer of children's music in English. Maybe I'm a little more tolerant of his non-British-ness because I'm also American, but I must say I like his easy, light, not-at-all precious renditions of these pieces much better than some of the oh-so-proper ones I've heard over the years.
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