6: Five Things Friday Vol. 16

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2020

Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.

This week is has been a gazillion years long and it feels like I haven’t slept since Tuesday afternoon (FYI, I did) and they still haven’t called who’s going to be our next president, but the longer we have to wait and the longer I think about it, the clearer it becomes: the election is not super close. The way the votes are counted is really warping the perception of what is happening. Biden is not pulling ahead, he’s been ahead all along. He has overwhelmingly won the popular vote and is on track to win the Electoral College by a large margin. He’s been flipping states. The way this election is reported makes it seem much more contested than it actually is.

Yes, still 69+ million people voted for Trump (unbelievable still!), but Biden will have won by a landslide when all is said and done. So, friends, what are we doing with all the free time when the last 4 years of this clown show are over?

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I have no mental space to think about the holidays but I know they’re coming up and I am usually so excited about the holiday season. Sadly, I already know that we won’t be traveling and I had a conversation with my Mom the other day and she said that there is no sensible way for her to send a Christmas package this year. (The postal service quotes long delivery times and outrageous postage prices.)

And while I tell her every year that she shouldn’t go through the trouble (because we’ve had so many mishaps with the postal service in recent years) and that it was of course a ludicrous idea to even think about sending something under the current circumstances, knowing that I won’t get a Christmas package from my family just puts another damper on this year. (So please, who’s up for the Secret Santa Mug Swap? Who wants to spread some holiday cheer?). 

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It’s finally cooling down here in California (it’s about time) and it almost feels like fall. We still haven’t had a drop of rain yet, which is very unusual. We usually get rain in October and I can only hope that we’re still going to get a wet winter because otherwise, this will be another drought year. I am ready for cooler temperatures, scarves and blankets, candles, and soup season.

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Tanja and I are wrapping up the 4-week crush your core program on the Peleton app this week and it’s amazing what 5 to 15 minutes of daily core exercises can do for your body.  I’ve really enjoyed these classes every day and am thinking of keeping them up after the program is over. It’s a small time investment with a huge payoff!

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I’ve picked up knitting again a few weeks ago. One, it’s fall (and I always knit more in the fall/winter) and two, it’s been a really calming activity for me during these very stressful times. Bonus: it keeps my hands busy (and forces me to put down my phone). What do you do to calm yourself down? 

TGIF.

  1. What a bummer to not even have the joy of open a present. This whole year is all messed up and wrong. I hope many people are up for your mug swap so you have those gifts to unwrap. I am not sure if we will be able to spent Christmas with my family this year. I would love too but with all the pandemic going on it’s a hazard.

    1. This holiday season will suck – no way around it :( but I’ll still try to make the best of it.

  2. I’m not an exercise person at all, but I’m trying to convince myself to schedule in some time each day to do it. 15 minutes here and there would add up. I must put it on my calendar to make sure I put some effort into me!

    1. 15 minutes every day would definitely add up. You just have to make it a habit. You can do it!!

  3. Hopefully 2021 will be a stark contrast to this year. I’m sorry about your Christmas package from your mom. This is the year in which each little disappointment feels so huge.

    I started a cross stitch project for the first time in 20 years! I used to do it all the time before my sons were born and it felt so good to pick it up again!

    1. Oh wow, cross-stitching… I haven’t done it in ages. Love it!

  4. That is a huge bummer about the holiday package from your mom. I know they’ve been super delayed in years past, but it’s rough to not have something like that to look forward to. :( I have been thinking about the holidays a lot and trying to make sure they are still extra special, even though we won’t be celebrating with anyone besides our immediate family – so 3 for Thanksgiving, 4 for Christmas! I think Paul will really get into Christmas this year so I’m looking forward to putting the tree up and making cookies and things like that. Granted, I’ll have a newborn so my energy level might be ridiculously low, but we’ll still make it a special season even though it’s different from most years.

    Huge huge huge sigh of relief about Biden winning. I’m super disappointed in the cowardly Republicans, especially McConnell and Graham. McConnell said democrats spent the last 4 years saying the 2016 election was a sham, but I never saw that happen. Clinton conceded quickly and no one said she was robbed. I just hope that Trump goes away eventually and isn’t the voice of the Republican party anymore.

    1. We’ll have to make the best of this holiday season. I know it’s going to suck in some regards, but I believe we can still make it special… and I love how you’re planning to make it special for Paul and your little family!

  5. Oh, I am so sorry about your lost visit and the fact that you won’t get your special Christmas package. Those rituals are so important to our mental health and well-being… not to mention feeling connected to those we love. I also had to give up the idea of seeing anyone for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, and I am really struggling. I finally realized how much I wanted to see people… right as our case numbers are skyrocketing. :( I hope you are able to connect virtually with your family, and that you are able to visit them soon. Perhaps a Valentine’s Day wouldn’t face such horrible delays? :)

    1. This holiday season will be tough but I hope we can still make it special somehow. I’ll definitely have a video call scheduled with my family for Christmas! :)

  6. That stinks about the holiday package! In a year when so much feels abnormal, that would have been a nice sense of normalcy. I experimented with the Peleton app earlier, and this makes me want to try it again!

    1. I’ve really come to love the Peloton app (now that I also have a bike)… it’s been keeping me very busy and motivated during this pandemic.

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