Time for some Misc. Snowy Day Thoughts as winter has returned with a rainy/snowy mix of misery.
I just used a little roller therapy thing that is supposed to help headaches. Now I smell like the sawdust used in elementary schools for puke. Also, I still have a headache.
I used the puke-sawdust-roller as I’m getting ready to have a colonoscopy next week and I can’t take my regular Aleve or ibuprofen. I’m all ready for the procedure prep. I have my Miralax, Ducolax, and two bottles of Gatorade (green and yellow, no reds or blues).
I recently had AI perform some avatar creations on photos from my phone. Every single image gave me a bright red nose and cheeks. Thanks, AI, for showing me that the world indeed only sees my rosacea. Fantastic for the old self-confidence.
I finished one SugarBlush Shawl with Arcane Fibre Works yarn (Just Breathe) and started another SugarBlush Shawl with Arcane Fibre Works yarn (Crashing Waves, pictured with Cass, above).
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and I did get little Valentine bags ready for all of the staff members. I try to always do that for Valentine’s Day and Halloween. I also sent out Twin Peaks Day gifts through the mail. I’m not doing InCoWriMo this year, but I’m behind on my letter writing so it seems I am doing InCoWriMo after all. We have 33 days until the official start of spring.
Today’s high is supposed to be 57 degrees. That’s unusual for the first week of February in Michigan. In fact, today’s normal high/low should be 34/16. It will drop back down and there’s word of a potential winter storm for Valentine’s Day. With 40 days left until the official start of spring, we do have a fair amount of time remaining for cold and snow. Even though it has been a very, very mild winter so far, and we’ve had more sunshine in the first few days of February than in the entire month of January combined, I admit I’m growing weary of winter.
I did complete one painting for January. One of the folks who signed up to do the Humane Society pet portrait punked out, so I painted these two parakeets in gouache. I’m working on a zine now for February also painted with gouache. Hopefully it will turn out well and will be completed this month.
January was a bad month for cats. Cass, above, had a health emergency and spent 48 hours at the vet with IV antibiotics. I really thought we were going to lose him. Bob went with me to take Cass, which really made a big difference to me. I went the next day to visit him at the vet as well, so he knew I didn’t abandon him. Cass is also featured in my Cats zine I created last month. That little cat has my heart, and I don’t know what I’d do without him. We also have ringworm in our kitten population at the shelter, and two different illegal cat drops. The first one included a FIV+ cat which thankfully we were able to transfer to a sanctuary, and the second one involved the police.
Can you believe it? It’s time to welcome 2024! The holidays always go so fast. There’s just something about a fresh new year, though. Full of possibilities! You’ll see my bullet journal vision page spread above. I’ve selected my word of the year, Creativity. I let go of things I cannot control by finding peace. I find peace through my creativity. I also plan on continuing to improve my health, and getting better control of my finances. My yearly bullet journal is where I track my daily activities, as well as my progress on goals of the year. By the end of 2024, I will have increased financial security, health, peace, and creativity.
2024 Goals
Health
I made some good progress on my health in 2023. However, the older I get, the more work seems to be required to maintain. This year, I need to lower my A1C and get my LDL Calculated and Non HDL lower.
Finances
This year, I am going to track every purchase I make and see if I can’t do a better job of planning or stopping the frivolous purchases. I’m going to review my IRA and see if I can’t have a plan for better growth as well.
Creativity
In 2024, I want to get back to regular painting. I find great peace while painting. I already have a project I need to start on right away, so that will be a great start. I plan to paint one piece each month. After taking the prose poetry class last year, I have not made time to keep up with regular writing. It is important to me, and I want to place greater emphasis on it this year. In 2024, I will write four prose poems and month. By the end of the year, I will have one prose poem published. I love zines, and would like to work on creating and sharing more this year. In 2024, I will create two zines per month.
Social Media
I maintain a number of social media pages and groups. In 2024, I want to keep a regular schedule of when things get published and make sure I’m keeping up. I’d like to grow my YouTube channel specifically. Want to help? Here are the links:
How quickly the summer is going! It’s already past mid July. We’ve finished our first two of three summer events for the shelter, attended the Battle Creek Garden Tour, and had a lovely visit with Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney.
This year’s garden tour was amazing. This is our third year attending. It’s hard to pick which garden was my favorite. The weather was lovely, not too hot, with a glorious breeze. I think this year’s theme was whimsy. Each garden had a number of really fun little touches.
My garden at home is also entering its stride mid July. We are now starting to get some sungold cherry tomatoes and some green beans.
Aunt Suzie, Gail and Sydney came for a visit, and we had a great time. Lots of laughs, and we worked on crocheting! Sydney is learning and doing a great job. I continue to make progress on my items for the craft fair at the Canine Carnival in August. Hoping I can have quite a bit up for sale. I’ve been making leggy froggies in a rainbow of colors.
As I’m kind of going freehand with them, so far each one is a little different. Hopefully as I keep making them, I wind up with some kind of standardization. The green one was first and yellow second. I’m also making some little ones to put on the ferris wheel.
I have read a couple of books, and will do a summer reads short update soon. I’ve had a bad round of headaches this summer. Is it stress? Smoke from the wildfires? Who knows, but it’s wearing me down.
Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. I know, how fast is this summer going?! In June I did a garden update as well as a crochet update. We finally had a day of rain yesterday, and I need to get some more photos and a video as the garden is looking really great. We aren’t getting much veg as of yet; a couple of sugar snap peas, one sweet banana pepper, and some rainbow chard is all.
I’ve been crocheting hair scrunchies for the upcoming booth at the Canine Carnival. I hope to have about 30 of them ready for it, plus some other various projects. I know it will come up sooner than I expect. The Strut for the Strays is already this weekend.
It seems like I’ve booked myself into a too-busy July and August. It’s a bit stressful overall I think. I need to take extra time to relax after each extrovert event or meeting, so it doesn’t build up too much. I’m envisioning a world and a life where I’m not constantly doing extrovert things that deplete my energy. Mom is making dinner for the Fourth of July, complete with a strawberry rhubarb pie which is my favorite. It will be nice to spend some time with her and Fanny. I’ve had a little time to read as well lately, so later this month I might even have a summer reads update. Reading glasses seem to make the difference in being able to concentrate and not get a really bad headache.
This week feels like summer in April! The temperatures have been near 80 degrees. The violets and forsythia are in bloom, and there are little leaves on the invasive honeysuckle and willows. The birds are all singing a merry song, and the air just feels different. Now, April 19th is next week and we always have snow right around then. And sure enough, snow is predicted for next Monday. But you know it won’t last. It will be too early to plant for awhile, but it’s time enough to start getting excited!
Mom is going in for knee replacement surgery coming up. I’ll be taking a week off to stay with her. I haven’t had that much time off straight in awhile now.
The new location for Horrocks opened at the mall. Honestly, it’s a nice store than Battle Creek deserves. We don’t deserve good things here. I expect someone will be shot in the parking lot there, as that is what Battle Creek represents. If you live here, you know.
I finished the prose poetry class, and have started up a private facebook group for our class. I hope to keep the interaction going. I’m working on a little side project for prose poetry as well.
I’m starting to get in a panic about the Whisker Mixer event. I’ve really screwed myself this time with what I said I’d do and the time left to do it in. Maybe the world will end before the event?
It’s mid-month already, and time for a March Update. I would have to look back at previous bullet journals, but I suspect that perhaps my feelings of ennui are normal for the time before the official start of spring. It doesn’t feel or look like spring yet. There’s still snow on the ground, with more on the way. It doesn’t even really feel like there is the promise of spring, and yet the calendar shows otherwise. There’s more grayness than sunshine, and everyone seems a bit unhappy. Another two weeks or a month, and everything will feel different.
I’ve been typing letters on the 1965 Olympia SM9. It is delightful to work on. I continue to struggle with creativity, but letter writing always feels good. I’m taking an online class on writing prose poetry. It is a four-week class. If you haven’t heard of prose poetry, check out Charles Simic’s work. Some of his poems are included in the bottom of that article. My Grandma wrote and enjoyed poetry. I wish I could discuss this class with her.
I’ve been crocheting a lot of infinity scarves. Nothing is selling on Etsy, but maybe they will sell at the craft booth for the Canine Carnival in August. I have two baby blankets and a special comfort blanket to make, with yarn due in today to get started.
It’s time for my annual movie review in preparation for the 95th Oscars. This year had a lot of great movies, and also some that were nominated but I would suggest avoiding. Let me know in the comments what you watched, what you enjoyed, and what movies should be avoided. You can check out my thoughts on last year’s awards here.
Best Picture
Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water (didn’t watch) The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis (didn’t watch) Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tár Top Gun: Maverick (didn’t watch) Triangle of Sadness Women Talking (didn’t watch)
To start it right out, I didn’t watch Avatar (don’t have Disney+), Elvis (I hate Elvis), Top Gun (I hate Tom Cruise), or Women Talking (not available for streaming). For the rest, be prepared to sit for awhile if you are going to watch them. When did the average length of movies become 2+ hours? I don’t go to movie theaters, and so I streamed everything I watched in shorter segments over multiple days. I didn’t necessarily think all of the movies needed to be that long.
The Fabelmans is worth watching to the end, for me at least, due to a cameo appearance in the last five minutes that I really enjoyed. I suspect Everything Everywhere All at Once may win for best picture, as it has won so many awards at the other ceremonies leading up to the Oscars (Golden Globes, SAG Awards, etc.). And it is nice to see an Asian film win for sure. Also, I love Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh. I found the movie itself kind of hard to follow. Interesting concept as well, but not my absolute favorite. Should you watch it? Maybe, if it is streaming on a service you already have.
I thought Tár was excellent, and Cate Blanchett was amazing in it. It’s a movie that would win in another year if it wasn’t up against Everything and I do recommend it. I think I will probably watch it again. I understand that The Banshees of Inisherin is a dark comedy. I just didn’t like it that much. All Quiet on the Western Front is a hard movie to watch. It might win against, Everything, as it did very well in the BAFTAs. It is quite good.
My favorite nominee is Triangle of Sadness. I doubt very much it will win for any award, but I loved it. Loved the concept, loved the acting, loved the humor. Loved it.
Actress in a Leading Role
There was controversy over the category of actress in a leading role with how the film To Leslie scored a nomination of its lead actress Andrea Riseborough. There is a bigger conversation on which films get nominated because they are really good, and which films get nominated because the money is there for promotion, but that’s for another day.
I watched all of the nominees except for Ana De Armas in Blonde. The movie wasn’t interesting to me, so I didn’t watch it. All other actresses put on great performances and I wouldn’t be disappointed in any of them winning. I really did enjoy To Leslie, and thought Andrea Riseborough did a great job.
Documentary Feature Film
All That Breathes (didn’t watch – can’t stand another dead animal film)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (not available)
Fire of Love (didn’t watch)
A House Made of Splinters
Navalny
My goodness, I had a hard time this year with documentary feature, and it’s normally one of my favorite categories. Fire of Love is on Disney+, and I’m not springing for another service. I wanted to watch All the Beauty but it won’t be available until March 19 which is after the awards show and honestly by that time I think I’ll be watching gardening shows to cleanse my palate. For that reason, I didn’t watch All That Breathes as I absolutely can’t watch another film where creatures die. I know that it’s about brothers who try to save birds and have a bird hospital, but you know well enough some of them are going to die and I’ve just plain had enough.
A House Made of Splinters is depressing. Navalny is depressing. Both are worth a watch to see what’s going on in the world, and they are both important stories. Watch them, but not back to back, and watch a comedy or two in between.
Documentary Short Film
The Elephant Whisperers (didn’t watch)
Haulout
How Do You Measure a Year? (not available – didn’t watch)
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Stranger at the Gate
I enjoy a nice documentary short. How Do you Measure a Year is not available for streaming, and I just didn’t feel much like watching The Elephant Whisperers. I get tired of watching sad animal films to be honest. Will some elephants die or be threatened with death? Yes, probably, so I’m not going to risk it. I get enough of it at work, you know? For the films I watched, I would recommend seeing them all. Haulout is quite short and it’s less a walrus film and more an environmental film. I would guess Stranger at the Gate will win, and it deserves it. Martha Mitchell was by far my favorite though. What an amazing woman and a life story that should be more well known. It’s a reminder that what happened to Mary Todd Lincoln was still happening not too long ago in this country. Outspoken women could be institutionalized for being outspoken. You should watch it!
International Feature Film
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium) (didn’t watch)
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland) (didn’t watch)
EO (Poland)
I would absolutely expect All Quiet to win this category, and it is deserved. I really did like Argentina, 1985 as well. It’s a dub, not sub, so that might be a problem for you. If you put on the sub, it doesn’t match the dub, which is even more irritating. The story is great, the set design is amazing, and it features a speech that will move you to tears. Close and The Quiet Girl are not available for streaming. I regret watching EO. The donkey dies in the end. Yes, I understand the point of the film. Yes, it’s an important issue. But I don’t need to see it to know it.
Misc. Thoughts on Other Categories
I didn’t see enough movies in the categories of Cinematography or Music – Original Score to really be able to comment on who should win the categories. But while I was watching All Quiet on the Western Front, I thought it could absolutely win for these categories. The musical score was haunting and perfect. It was like a character all on its own, just amazing.
I did watch a couple of the animated shorts, which is normally one of my favorite categories. I didn’t like anything I watched. And the live action shorts weren’t available for streaming.
That’s it! That’s my thoughts for this year’s Academy Awards. What, if any, did you watch? What were your thoughts?
We are on the edge of a February storm. This month has been odd for weather, with five days so far 15 degrees or more above average. We are expecting snow, then ice today into tomorrow, and then maybe temperatures at 50 degrees Thursday before plummeting to the 20s for the weekend. Hopefully we won’t lose power and we will be able to get to and from wherever it is we need to go. Cass, above, shows a nod to spring wishes while staying warm with a hat. He is a good office mate and brings me much joy at work. The daffodils in the CWBP are just poking up, but no pussy willows yet. There are flocks of robins at the shelter. It feels more like March weather than February at this point. I am not freaking out so much for the start of spring. Maybe it’s because when it’s cold, all of the idiots are inside instead of outside making noise. Or maybe it’s because we haven’t had much snow and the grass has been mostly visible and winter altogether hasn’t been as harsh as normal.
Typewriter
I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of vintage typewriters. Quite often when I write on a computer, I get distracted with other things on the internet (Reddit). I cleaned up my arts space some to make room for a new hobby. So far I’ve written one letter with this 1966 Royal Safari typewriter. It has an interesting script typeface. I used a typewriter a little when I was younger to type papers for school, but we moved into the computer age by high school. This is a lovely machine, and it’s a fun tactile feeling to type on. I’ve got a small stack of letters to catch up on if I ever have time. It seems I never have much time. Then, after that, writing prompts, short stories, and maybe a screenplay? Who knows.
Cats
Mom has a guest at her house. Phantom, or Fanny, is staying with Mom for an unknown amount of time – either when Mom gets tired of her, or she gets a good application for adoption. Fanny was found as a stray, and the woman who found her tried to keep her but her own cats beat on Fanny. Then she came to the shelter, where the cats in the cat room beat on her. She had spent the last several months in a cage alone for her protection. She is becoming more brave and wandering around Mom’s house. She has found her way to the counter tops and everywhere else. We’ve had some cat challenges at the shelter lately. In fact, everything just seems to be kind of difficult at work these days.
Valentine Gifts
This year’s staff Valentines were handmade crochet washcloths with soap paired, lavender sachets, and chocolate. The bags had a lavender sprig attached with a heart wax seal. Right now, I’m crocheting up some cat blankets for Companion Cats for their adoptions. I hope to have two more done before I drop them off. No new sales on Etsy. Anyhow, here is hoping the February storm is lighter on the snow and ice than predicted, with no power outages. Stay safe and warm!
My goodness, the January blues are here and they’ve hit hard. We are down to the last week of the month. Yesterday we had a tiny bit of sunshine, and we really haven’t had much sun at all this winter, but today is a dump of snow. The polar vortex is on the way next week, and it will be super cold again. It always seems to correspond that the January blues happen and we have a bunch of sick or stressed cats at work. I am counting down the days until spring, and I know time is passing, but there’s nothing I’d rather do more than curl up in bed. Fortunately for everyone around me, I am somehow able to get up and remain a productive human being.
I haven’t managed to get my latest scarves up on Etsy. Maybe I can muster the energy this weekend? Since the start of the new year, I’ve finished four scarves or cowls and I’m working on a fifth. My next one after the one on the hook will be Tunisian crochet for sure. Mom got me some hooks for my birthday and I’m anxious to give it a try.
The sun briefly came out for Mom’s birthday. We had lunch and made some zines. That’s right, I’m back on my zine making and zine collecting. I even forced a bunch of Girl Scouts to make zines.
Yesterday was also the Oscar Nomination ceremony. I’ve seen three of the ten nominees for best picture already, one of the documentary shorts (plus five on the short list that weren’t nominated), one of the animated shorts, and none of the international, feature documentary, or live-action documentary. I’m going to have to get busy.
