Puzzling

Beloved Husband and a couple of his friends went a-motorcyling by the Grand Canyon recently. They seem to have enjoyed it very much. (And they all work hard and deserve some relaxation and scenic vistas -- so good for them. It's important to take time for oneself.) 

He brought back a teeny puzzle from a gift shop, and we worked on it one evening. It has been approximately a hundred thousand years since I've worked on a puzzle, and I'd forgotten how satisfying puzzles can be. It was pleasant for us to undertake it together, especially since we so rarely are able to spend time on projects together that aren't Work projects. 

It was tricky, but we succeeded. Hooray! 

January: Sometimes It Really Is Fun and Games

I do enjoy a good Scrabble game. My goal, with my Scrabble companion (who absolutely excels at the game), is to lose by fewer than 100 points. 

509 to 345. I lost. By more than 100 points. 

389 to 362. I lost. By fewer than 100 points!

330 to 350. I actually won this one! It was a very close game.

279 to 273. A low-scoring game, though once more a close game. I lost. 

342 to 217. I lost. By more than 100 points. Again. 

It was all just delightful.

January: WHAT ON EARTH (or not) ARE WE READING?

 I asked Audible for recommendations for books to add to my library, and it provided the following options: 

Look closely at the bottom one, can you see it? Let me read the title out loud to you:

THE COMMANDER'S CAPTIVE (AN ALIEN BREEDER ROMANCE)

A billion times NO, Audible. GOOD GRAVY.

I am not at all sure where the algorithm went awry. I do not read romance novels, for Reasons; I do not read books that involve slavery/capture/against-one's-will themes (consent, freely given, is the only option); and I most definitely do not read novels that include breeder themes (three pregnancies and difficult deliveries were plenty and I have no desire to romanticize them or re-live the idea, thank you very much). I don't read smut, again, for Reasons. In fact, I'll actively avoid books that include any of these themes. 

Gah. I feel like I need to go wash. I'll go back to my very dry, cerebral, and non-physical Sherlock Holmes audiobook now. 

Little by Little

A little Duolingo gets done. 

Yikes

That's... even weirder, DuoLingo. 

DuoUmmmmm...

That's... a little weird, DuoLingo. 

Progress

I feel like I may not be accomplishing much these days, but at least I am continuing my Duolingo streak. Tres bien!

Banananas

Banana-chocolate chip muffins, including a couple of heart-shaped ones, made with the last part of the batter that wouldn't fit into the muffin tins. 

Mmmmm, muffins. 

Old Hobbies

I made a few tiny zucchini muffins today. (Banana for scale.) 

It was nice to return to old hobbies. 

Questionable Utility

Not sure this is a phrase I will need, Duolingo. 

Duolingo Truths

Though, to be honest: who has a wired phone any more?

J'apprends

Pumpkin Loaf

Trying to do the little things I used to enjoy, like baking, in the hopes they will bring me a bit of happiness again now amidst all the Stuff.  

Bouquet

Weekend Activities

Herself speaks.

Everyone else in the house was away for the past few days, and so I had to figure out what to do with myself for this past weekend. It was a bit tricky -- it was an absolutely roasting 100+ degrees outside, even past 7 PM, so outside activities were limited. There were some potentially-interesting around-town events that I considered, but honestly, they were "with company"-type events, and I couldn't think of a single person I would like to ask to go with me. And once more, I reminded myself: SELF, you should see about finding some local people with whom to pass some time on occasions such as these. 

Honestly, though, I still just don't have the wherewithal right now. 

So instead, I chose once more to Clean And Organize Things At Home.  This is also a tricky activity, because so many of the things that require cleaning and/or organization are not actually my things. I tried to look at it as a kind of Suburban Household Forest situation: if I were camping in the forest, I would have limited control over the environment, and would have to tolerate a fair amount of clutter and things-that-aren't-mine in the vicinity, because that's just the way it is when one is in the forest.  I am living in a Suburban Household Forest. I will do what I can, and will just have to tolerate the rest as best possible.

I was quite productive, at least: the garage is better, the Room of Requirement is better, behind the bar is now clear, nine bags of donations were donated, cabinets are tidied. There are a few more tasks to complete this evening, but I have regained some control over the environment, as best I can, and I feel good about that. 

Next step: get better control over my social life by cultivating a few local relationships, so that I can spend more time doing casual fun things, instead of cleaning. 

Muffins

 Over the past weekend, I made muffins for my lovely mother-in-law and sister-in-law: cream-cheese-and-raspberry giant muffins.  They turned out pretty.  (I can't eat them, so I don't know how they tasted, but at least they looked nice.) I did enjoy the baking. 

As you may recall, in Days of Yore, I used to make muffins before Friday sparring class for taekwondo.  It was a small act of love, an act of Belonging: these are my people, and I will provide them something small and tasty after the effort of sparring class. Those days are long gone now - the Belonging turned out to be a tenuous camaraderie that fell apart for a multitude of Reasons, and the last straw was the one Monday when I turned up to taekwondo class and found a basket of leftover, half-eaten and neglected stale muffins on the counter. Effort for naught. The end of the muffin era. 

I don't have much of a muffin audience now, and so I only make them as gifts for special occasions and for special people. I knew that these particular muffins would be much appreciated, so I prepared them carefully and with love. 

The secret ingredient is always love.  

Another Flower

Purple, this time. 

Lego Aster

Nice. 

Flowers

I am working on some Lego flowers. I was a bit concerned, because I am very much not a visual person, that I would have difficulty with the instructions -- but they turned out just fine. Nice. 

thank you, Lego, for these charming sets. 

Apprendre