The Alphabet of Right Now ~ December 2022
A ~ Aquarium; one more visit before the year’s end.
B ~ Birthday; my mom turned 69.
C ~ Christmas music; always a nice change from the usual.
D ~ Days off; not enough for Winter Break.
E ~ Eggnog; or rather almond nog. Yum!
F ~ Five K; JR’s GOTR culminating event.
G ~ Goodbyes; mom left after a three months visit.
H ~ Holiday party; at Yousef’s martial arts studio.
I ~ Illness; much more frequent these days.
J ~ Jello; at the Diner, the go to dessert.
K ~ Kleenex; so many sniffles in our house.
L ~ Letters; have not sent any out in a long time.
M ~ Magnum, PI.; a feel good show for the time being.
N ~ New Year’s Eve; in Charlottesville instead of on the couch.
O ~ Online bill pay; much more convenient, and less expense, than checks in the mail.
P ~ Playdates; so cold outside, so happening at our place.
Q ~ Quesadillas; Yousef’s current go-to dinner choice.
R ~ Roundup; my annual year in review.
S ~ Snow; none yet.
T ~ Toronto; Jeff’s trip for the month.
U ~ Upside Down; that’s how the world feels right now.
V ~ Veal Scaloppini; with lemon caper sauce.
W ~ Weston; cat-sitting for Christmas.
X;
Y ~ Yet; the best hasn’t come yet.
Zoo Lights; disappointing compared to years past.
The last edition appeared here
22 Things to do in 2022 ~ Final Update
1. Cook 22 untried recipes ~ done
2. Make 22 desserts ~ the oven is unreliable so this is not happening
3. Write 22 letters ~ sent
4. Sit for 3,960 minutes ~ not close
5. Read 22 books ~ completed
6. Listen to 22 audio books ~ harder than I thought
7. Listen to 22 khutbahs ~ no progress
8. Endeavor 22 new things ~ yes
9. Visit 22 new places ~ on track
10. Earn $6,066 ~ done
11. Walk 88 miles ~ I have walked plenty this year
12. Publish 88 blog posts ~ fell short
13. Practice 132 yoga classes ~ not into yoga this year
14. Support 22 small businesses ~ supported
15. Watch 11 documentaries ~ does Magnum count as a documentary?!
16. Talk to 22 strangers ~ this was easy
17. Try 11 new coffee shops ~ with inflation where it is at this is not happening
18. Spend 44 hours of one on one with Jannah-Rae ~ yes
19. Spend 22 hours of one on one with Yousef ~ he prefers his friends, that’s ok
20. Go on 11 dates with Jeff ~ this has proven to be challenging
21. Celebrate 11 family fancy nights ~ nope
22. Donate to 11 causes ~ donations: yes; new causes: no
2022 Suggested Books ~ December Update
I have since revised my original list even more and truncated it into a new one.
- In Love by Amy Bloom ~ heartbreaking must read
- Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron ~ read
- Write For Your Life by Anna Quindlen ~ listened to the audio version, beautifully narrated
- The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka ~ wonderful
- Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout ~ excellent
- Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard ~ just ok
- Everything Left to Remember by Steph Jagger ~ beautifully written
- The Whole Language by Gregory Boyle ~ everything I expected it to be
- When the Emperor Was Devine by Julie Otsuka ~ eye opening and sad
- The Lion is In by Delia Ephron ~ read, do not recommend
- The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds ~ Jason Reynolds is a king
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds ~ Jason Reynolds is a king
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds ~ Jason Reynolds is a king
- Sorry, Not Sorry by Alyssa Milano ~ good essays
- Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson ~ captivating
- Start Without Me by Gary Janetti ~ funny
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin ~ simply wonderful
- Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields ~ that was me
- O’s Little Book of Calm and Comfort ~ wonderful listen
- O’s Little Book of Happiness ~ wonderful listen
- Teaching as an Act of Love by Richard Lakin ~ enjoyable
- The Neuroscientist Who Lost her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska ~ interesting but monotonous
- Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg ~ excellent
- It’s Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong ~ an interesting read in hindsight
breathe
To the Young Who Want to Die
Sit down. Inhale. Exhale.
The gun will wait. The lake will wait.
The tall gall in the small seductive vial
will wait will wait:
will wait a week: will wait through April.
You do not have to die this certain day.
Death will abide, will pamper your postponement.
I assure you death will wait. Death has
a lot of time. Death can
attend to you tomorrow. Or next week. Death is
just down the street; is most obliging neighbor;
can meet you any moment.
You need not die today.
Stay here — through pout or pain or peskyness.
Stay here. See what the news is going to be tomorrow.
Graves grow no green that you can use.
Remember, green’s your color. You are Spring.
~ Gwendolyn Brooks
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Panic
2022 Suggested Books ~ November Update
I have since revised my original list even more and truncated it into a new one.
- In Love by Amy Bloom ~ heartbreaking must read
- Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron ~ read
- Write For Your Life by Anna Quindlen ~ listened to the audio version, beautifully narrated
- The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka ~ wonderful
- Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout ~ excellent
- Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard ~ just ok
- Everything Left to Remember by Steph Jagger ~ beautifully written
- The Whole Language by Gregory Boyle ~ everything I expected it to be
- When the Emperor Was Devine by Julie Otsuka ~ eye opening and sad
- The Lion is In by Delia Ephron ~ read, do not recommend
- The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds ~ Jason Reynolds is a king
- Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds ~ Jason Reynolds is a king
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds ~ Jason Reynolds is a king
- Sorry, Not Sorry by Alyssa Milano ~ good essays
- Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson ~ captivating
- Start Without Me by Gary Janetti ~ funny
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin ~ simply wonderful
- Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields ~ that was me
- O’s Little Book of Calm and Comfort ~ wonderful listen
- Teaching as an Act of Love by Richard Lakin ~ enjoyable
The Alphabet of Right Now ~ November 2022
A ~ Assisted Dying; a topic of interest.
B ~ Black Friday; Tysons Corner; Mosaic District; Boring.
C ~ Cycle; stationary bike; at the YMCA; thirty minutes; however many days a week..
D ~ Daylight Savings; ended, let the darkness set in early.
E ~ Essential Oils; restocking on our most used for the winter ahead.
F ~ Fish; not eating enough seafood to balance our diets.
G ~ Girls on the Run; an after-school activity for JR.
H ~ Hamilton; on repeat.
I ~ Insomnia; felt even more with the cold and the dark.
J ~ Jacuzzi; in the hotel room; so glad we paid extra for it.
K ~ Knees; not aching like before despite the cold setting in.
L ~ Lunches; school; proving to be harder than previous years.
M ~ Martial Arts; Yousef’s after-school activity choice.
N ~ Newsies, Jr.; the middle school production JR is in.
O ~ O’s Little Book on Happiness and of Calm & Comfort; on audio.
P ~ Parent-Teacher Conferences; only scheduled a few.
Q ~ Quit; I walked off the hostile work environment.
R ~ Reunited; with some of the things we had left behind in Seattle.
S ~ Staycation; for a change in scenery.
T ~ Thanksgiving Turkey; smoked from Costco, still not eaten.
U ~ Unsure; unsure I can continue this post next year.
V ~ Volunteering; at the Memory Care Unit; with JR.
W ~ Walking; the neighbor’s dog over Thanksgiving; JR’s holiday gig.
X;
Y ~ Yellow sweatshirt; a color I never wore before.
Z ~ Zoo; Thanksgiving day; beautiful day.
The last edition appeared here
November’s Done
I quit my job in November. Stormed out of there in anger after putting up with months of abuse. I should have walked out a long time ago. As a matter of fact I should never have taken the job to begin with.
Parent-teacher conferences were held but we only met a handful of them via zoom. I love JR’s teachers.
Thanksgiving in Tyson’s corner. With no extended family around, we did what we wanted to do. A stroll through the zoo on a beautiful Thursday morning morning. A delicious meal from The Diner for lunch and an afternoon in the sun in Arlington. Sushi from the grocery store, mediocre to say the least but our thing together. A jacuzzi tub in the room made everything that much better.
Jannah-Rae earned over a $100 pet sitting the neighbors’ cat and dog. It was cold and wet but she fulfilled her obligation and got a bonus. She started volunteering at the memory care unit in our locale. Her golf lessons are ongoing for a few more weeks.
Yousef spent hours upon hours with his friends; a core group of three boys knocking on each others’ doors. He went to the pediatrician for his anxiety and got referred to the in-house counselor. He is taking his mental health into his own hands.
Middle School book fair at Barnes and Noble showcased JR’s singing debut. Her drama teacher is putting on a Spring musical.
Smoked turkey was saved for a future meal. Prime rib roast was on the menu for the holiday weekend. Horseradish from Whole Foods was so good.
Daylight Savings ended. November was cold; very cold.
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