Random Thoughts Thursday 80
- We had a nice Christmas with Steven’s dad and brother. I am grateful that they enjoy traveling out here for the holiday, and especially that they were up for it this year, with us living in a small rental house (with no cable!!!!!! <— insert cat making home alone face emoji).
Me and my boys! Even Data cooperates for the family photo!
- Ugh, but this Christmas, the amount I hate to cook was intensified by the kitchen in the rental house. GRRRRRR. Sigh. I am grateful to have a home at all. And to be renting a home that could host guests, yes. But GAWD, it would be nice to have hot water at the kitchen sink, a dishwasher that is attached to the counter top, some counter space, and cupboard space. Wah wah wah. Whatever, the food turned out good. And you guys know that Steven does 95% of the cooking, anyway (so then it must have been really bad for me to complain, muah ha ha!).
From L to R: breakfast, dinner, X-wing and Death Star ice cubes (!!!) and chocolate pudding pie. Ha ha ha, that pie. I decided to make the crust with the Aldi-brand oreo peppermint cookies (SO GOOD)… 28 of them. So we’re eating the pie and Steven’s like, “how many oreos are in this?” “28!” “No… how many are in ONE slice?” “UM… DON’T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT! It’s Christmas!” Yeah… the leftovers for that went in the trash on Monday.
- When I was doing my long runs during marathon training, I’d just listen to my entire music collection on shuffle, instead of making a playlist. Toward the end of some long runs, as I got low on energy, I’d skip songs a lot more, feeling annoyed with what I was listening to, looking for something more upbeat. Skipping songs was obviously a sign that I needed something to pump me back up. So I put together an upbeat playlist with all my favorite songs on it for the marathon, and it worked! I don’t recall skipping any songs, and this song (below) made me feel so good, I played it once more on repeat after it came on!
I keep expecting Mad Max to show up in the video, ha.
- Each year, in the end of December, WordPress sends me an email “Your [insert year here] year in blogging” with some stats they’ve pulled about most popular posts, the longest posting streak (in days), posts with most comments, etc. It’s interesting to me that the posts on my site that get the most hits are ones I wrote 5-7 years ago. Ha! And especially interesting to me that all my top commenters (most comments left) last year were people I know in real life. This year, they are all people I’ve never met. I understand these stats mean my blog is not growing in popularity (fine by me) and that people I know in real life comment less, and may read less (also, fine by me). I write this blog for me, and appreciate any comments, ever (thank you!)! It’s not too surprising that the top commenters are new people. Blogs seems to be cyclical, and I am sure there are only so many times you can comment on the shiz I write without feeling like you’ve read it, and written that comment, before, and feel like moving on. Ha!
- I am surprised how many people seemed astonished when I told them (after they inquired) how much time I got off for the holidays at my federal job. Guys. I work for the federal government. We get federal holidays off – that’s it. I thought it was cool that Obama signed an executive order so we could have a half day on December 24! Don’t worry about me… I am very satisfied with the perks at my job.
- Noooooo, Running Times is no longer going to be published! It was my favorite magazine! I’m very sad that the issue I got this week is apparently the last (and that it oddly doesn’t mention it anywhere, that I’ve seen, in the issue, update: after I wrote this, I got a mailer telling me about it, and that my Runner’s World subscription will be extended). I had even saved a subscription card out of the issue to gift it to someone. Bummer. I guess it was a huge sign last year when they reduced the amount of issues from 10 to 6. Sigh. I don’t want to read that content online. I loved getting the magazine in the mail. Bummer, bummer, bummer.
Themocracy
I love the Star Wars ice cubes! I got Mike an ice cube tray that looks like companion cubes from the Portal game one year. I make specific play lists for races too, and I try to arrange the songs so that favorites are at points where I feel like I’ll need a boost. And high energy at the end. It really helps. For long runs, I’ll just go with shuffle. I hope you guys have a great New Year!
There are so many fun ice cube mold trays out there!!! Steven also received some short tumbler glasses for making alcoholic drinks in for his birthday (right before xmas) and the death stars fit in there pretty well, lol! 🙂
Music helps me SO much! It’s funny how much I’ve used it after my training partner moved – I hadn’t listened to music while running for a few years before that!
Have a great NY too!
I can sympathize with the kitchen. While I have a dishwasher built in, our space is small and cramped when you factor in a husband, two kids and a big dog. Also, a cabinet door fell off and I can’t find the right hinges. Well, I went shopping once, bought the wrong ones and haven’t had time to find better ones. I joke that I’m going to apply to be on HGTV’s worst kitchens because we need help.
Also, people are always surprised when I work holiday weeks and don’t have big stretches of time off. I work at a newspaper. The newspaper is published every day. How the heck do you think that happens?
Wouldn’t that be awesome to have someone come in and make over it? I am not someone who likes to cook at all, but the kitchen is the hub of the house and small ones are a joke!
LOL, the robots must be writing the articles so you can take off several weeks, right?!
Yes! Robots! I’d be happy with a robot that would fetch me things while I work through the holidays. Heh. I’m just thankful that I’m in a position where I am no longer in the pool to work holidays. I’ve been in the office many a Thanksgiving and Christmas. My first year out of school, I worked Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. By the time NYE and NYD came, it didn’t even feel like I was working a holiday.
Beep beep bop boop. Awesome headline! 🙂
Oh gosh, now that would REALLY stink. I am happy you don’t have to work on the holidays anymore. That’s just rough.
I am subscribed to your blog so all posts happily go to my inbox, but I guess that means you probably have very few views from me! I do read it all though, whether I comment usually depends on whether I read it on my phone if I’m out of the house or at the house.
I have a “galley” kitchen in my house and it’s my one real gripe – my kitchen is smaller than my bathroom. But, you adapt – I promise!
I love running with music on the treadmill but when I’m outside I find it so distracting. I brought some for the half I did in spring and ended up completely tuning it out, which I laughed at myself for afterwards!
I don’t even pay attention to views and all that crapola! (LOL, I can’t imagine being a blogger who cares about that stuff!). It’s funny, but people comment less when you post it on other social media (Facebook for me) and when they read on their smart phone. Commenting on blogs on a phone SUCKS. I wish the applications would make it easier, but even then, I don’t want to type out a comment that way! I often read posts then leave them as unread in Feedly to remind myself to comment later then I get back to it and don’t remember what I was going to say! Anyway. It’s all good! 🙂
Ha! I could never adapt to the rental house, unless we built in an island. Seriously – there is hardly any counter space to prep food, or leave anything on the counter. I am really curious about who is moving in here!
I *have* commented from my phone if it’s something I feel REALLY strong about but it’s such a pain it has to be something super super important I want to say, lol.
My galley kitchen is smaller tha the one we had in our apartment, but I did adapt. I would love a bigger kitchen though!
That is the only time I have too! And of course, it was when I wasn’t by my computer!
Good for you for being able to adapt!
Wait… are there people who get more than just federal holidays off during this time of year? Sigh. I thought that was normal! But then my job is hardly loaded with perks. We get Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. We used to get the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve too but… $$$$$.
A good playlist makes all the difference for me! I have a bunch of really old ones saved from when I started working out and running. They were overkill for a long time, but I started listening to a few recently on long walks and they’re like new again!
I’d comment more on your blog but yeah, we usually talk about this stuff in person or via email, so it seems redundant. But I’ll say it again… I would have eaten the rest of that chocolate pie. Even if it was vegan 😉
There are! LOL! Quite a few that I know get between xmas and NY off (cool) and some get the whole two weeks off around them (cool). Some get a few random days (neat), and some, like you and me, get the federally mandated days. And think that OUR LIVES ARE SO HORRIBLE. Or feel very sorry for us. LOL. People were shocked I had to work the Friday after Thanksgiving, too. Ha.
You will have to share a playlist with me some time! I bet you listen to different tunes than me.
Exactly – it’s totally redundant if we’ve already talked about something elsewhere then you see me blog about it (but fun for you to know more of the story than I share here, ha!).
Do you like chocolate pudding? Even if it’s vegan? I have been trying to think of what to put in your container when I bring it back… 🙂
I am so jealous of people who get that much time off! I know we have clients that are closed that whole time. We should be too! But no, instead I’m responding to RFPs from companies who think it’s cool to have huge things due on New Years Eve just for the fun of it (since obviously no one is reading this stuff today). Sigh.
My playlists are so old-school they’re on my ipod 🙂
Oh goodness, I was kidding about not bringing containers back empty! But yes, we like pudding here. Even vegan (to be polite).
My sister and I were talking about how she had some stuff ridiculously due right now too. Like, who is going to review it? That is how I usually feel when a deadline is end of the day Friday. Just rushing for someone to review Monday? Eh, it felt even more ridic to be so busy this week though 🙂
What’s an iPod?! 😛
Wait, people get more than just Christmas and New Years automatically off? Our office closes at 2pm the day before each, anything else is our own vacation time. The started closing the office on the day after Thanksgiving, for awhile that was our own vacation time as well.
Also, my most popular posts are from 2012-2013. Oh well. Not surprising since I haven’t been posting as much, and when I do, it’s not the “how to” type stuff that works well for search and all that.
This post reminded me to look at my WP stats. YOU were my top commenter, so thank you!! My most popular post is an IKEA dresser hack because I put it on Pinterest. DIY disaster, for reals….
I was surprised that RT is going to be cancelled because it seems like it doesn’t really overlap with RW content/audience. I guess Rodale decided it did overlap enough though.
Aww, you are welcome! I can see that being your top post! I am not a DIYer and even I like seeing that stuff!
I don’t think they do, either! I hope they bring some RT content to RW. I really enjoy the features RT does on high schoo, college, and masters athletes.
I like the Death Star ice cubes.
Time off… I always appreciate every day I have off, holiday or vacation time. It’s a nice break, even if you like your job.
Magazines stopping print… Seems this is the trend these days. I take Popular Photography and Popular Science…. they are still in print, but have gotten so skinny the last year.
Isn’t it a bummer about the mags? I really enjoy Running Times and look forward to each issue. I just don’t want to read that stuff online!