Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone’s staying as safe and sane as can be. This week, one of my wheels nearly fell off (thanks to the awesome people at Push to Walk for the repair!), I watched “Dune” (the score is epic), and I had a lovely Italian Thanksgiving. Daily summaries below!

Day Six Hundred and Seventeen (11/19/21)

• Went to Push to Walk! We were stuck in a bit of traffic, so I scrolled through my phone and bought an absurd amount of chocolate. Because I’m a sucker for Black Friday chocolate sales.
• Watched “The Great British Baking Show” with my mother while we had pie. Dang, that was an unexpected elimination.
• Watched the news. On the one hand, are we surprised? On the other hand, did that judge kind of sort of act like the defendant was his grandkid or something?
• Total Times Outside: One Hundred and Fifty-Eight!
• Total videos watched by other YouTubers: 1.
• Currently feeling: Well, I drafted an email. I really need to get better at writing these quickly. Honestly, I’d be ten times more productive if all I had to do was give people a call. At least they could hear my tone, instead of me having to write and rewrite an email ten times to make sure I sound the correct amount of respectful and polite.
• Currently looping: Will Ramos has blessed us with his one-take playthrough of Lorna Shore’s “To The Abyss.”

Day Six Hundred and Eighteen (11/20/21)

• Did the FES cycle. Did some shopping for my niece’s Christmas presents.
• Booking a booster shot appointment is particularly cumbersome. Blast you, CVS website.
• Dealt with administrative stuff. Boo.
• Started watching “Avengers: Assembled” because I love documentaries about shows/movies.
• Watched the first thirty minutes of “Dune.” That’s right, left unchecked, I will take breaks during movies to do stuff that I actually had intended to get done today.
• We’ve reached that time of the year in which my apartment is cold if I am stationary. Welp.
• Attempted to practice guitar for a collaboration with someone on YouTube. I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to follow along to a beat when you can’t tap your foot. Ugh.
• Currently feeling: Omg, where did the day go? Seriously. I have a list of things that did not get done. Really need to properly divide up time for tomorrow.
• Currently looping: The Silversun Pickups’ “The Royal We.”

Day Six Hundred and Nineteen (11/21/21)

• Music day! Recorded part of a cover for one collaboration, and then recorded three parts for a different cover collaboration.
• Finished watching “Dune.” I mean, it’s a spectacle of a film, and the plot’s fine. BUT THAT SCORE THOUGH. Can Hans Zimmer go on tour again next year so I can hear this live?
• Mixed “Jackass.” Going to see if guitar buddy can have a look at it this week before it’s ready for the public.
• I can’t be trusted on apps for stores that I like. Extra discount on the app? Okay, let me take a look. What’s that? A pair of very warm looking leggings? You know how much I love leggings! I’m slightly concerned about my future credit card bill.
• Oh, and I have a cart full of $70 worth of chocolate. Again. I keep thinking I have enough willpower not to hit “checkout,” but that willpower only exists ten out of twelve months per year.
• Currently feeling: Mixing “Jackass” took way longer than anticipated, and now I have to rush so I don’t go to bed super late. This seems very on brand.
• Currently looping: Hans Zimmer’s “Paul’s Dream” from the Dune soundtrack. I am going to do so much research listening to this soundtrack.

Day Six Hundred and Twenty (11/22/21)

• Did the FES cycle. Still haven’t hit “checkout” on that cart full of chocolate.
• Music hangout! Oh gosh, I really botched the drum programming on “Jackass.” This is nowhere near done and I’ll need to rerecord some things. Or maybe all of it. I don’t know yet. I don’t think it’ll be ready for a songwriting contest for another few months. Or a year.
• My mother’s here!
• Did I just place an order for a bunch of snacks because they were 25% off? Yes. Yes, I did.
• I also want to buy an amp, but it’s not on sale. Ugh, I might just have to get it anyway. Because future busking.
• Total videos watched by other YouTubers: 10. I had to watch some because one of my subscribers reached out to ask if everything was okay with me, on account of my not posting for two months. Very sweet that someone noticed.
• Currently feeling: I know I need to start planning this chapter, but ugh, it’s not a great feeling when you realize all the research prep you did isn’t going to be nearly enough. And you kind of have to start all over.
• Currently looping: Hans Zimmer’s “Ripples in the Sand.” I’m telling you, this Dune soundtrack is amazing.

Day Six Hundred and Twenty-One (11/23/21)

• Went to Push to Walk! Oh, what a morning. First, the air in my mother’s car’s tires was getting low (temperature changes and all that), but we didn’t want to be late to my workout, so we drove there anyway. We got to the parking lot of the gym only to find that something had come loose in one of my own wheels, and so it was unstable (i.e. I wasn’t sure whether the wheel could just pop off my chair while I was in it). So that was unexpected.
• After my workout (don’t worry, I’m not in my chair for most of it), my trainer tried to fix my chair, except then a loose ball fell from it. This is a tiny piece meant to fit in the center of the wheel, and it was black, so it blended right in with the floor.
• Oh good grief, where did it go?
• A heroic aide found the ball. Chants of “MVP!” resonated throughout a corner of the gym. My trainer got the ball back in the wheel, and my mother found an additional piece that fell out in the parking lot. The chair was reassembled.
• TLDR: My chair wheel appears to be reattached. Huzzah for group effort!
• My mother and I then went to a nearby gas station and filled up the car’s tires. It’s just been a wonky wheels kind of day.
• Went back to my apartment to tidy it before Thanksgiving.
• Made an appointment for a booster shot!
• Total Times Outside: One Hundred and Fifty-Nine!
• Currently feeling: Continuing to make hella purchases. I had such restraint earlier in the year. And now that restraint is gone because everything is 30% off.
• Currently looping: Lily Allen’s “Littlest Things.”

Day Six Hundred and Twenty-Two (11/24/21)

• Did the FES cycle. Listened to a medieval lecture with several connectivity issues as I cycled.
• Thought about attempting to get a covid booster shot (prior to my appointment), but then realized I’d be very tired and out of it during Thanksgiving and decided against it. Made myself tea and a snack instead.
• Started watching “Hawkeye” on Disney Plus. Hailee Steinfeld was an amazing casting choice for Kate Bishop.
• Began to feel guilty for my tea and “Hawkeye” break (okay, I didn’t eat lunch, so it was like a tea lunch break), so I started reading for my dissertation. Something about researching just makes me feel useful.
• Tidied my living room while the Rangers game was on. I follow baseball most closely of all the sports, but hockey’s probably my second favorite sport to watch on television.
• Total videos watched by other YouTubers: 0.
• Currently feeling: I had moments today where I thought, “Gee, it’d be nice to have a roommate.” Then I started blasting a Decemberists album and cleaning my apartment as I sang along, and I thought, “I may never find another human who finds this enjoyable. Thank goodness I live by myself.”
• Currently looping: The Decemberists’ live performance of “The Crane Wife 1, 2, and 3.” I don’t know, I was in “sad girl autumn” mode and this for some reason was the song that made the most sense?

Day Six Hundred and Twenty-Three (11/25/21)

• Happy Thanksgiving!
• Went outside to get a small pumpkin pie. Technically, it’s individual sized, but it’s definitely two servings for me. Weather was gorgeous.
• My parents and some family friends came over for Thanksgiving dinner. We didn’t want to deal with turkey logistics, so we did Italian food. Felt almost like Christmas, except we had football on in the background and there was no Michael Bublé on the speakers.
• Oof, I ate too much. My stomach is displeased with me.
• Getting in the standing frame helped. But then I sat back down and my stomach began to be upset again. Gah, the hazards of Thanksgiving.
• Total Times Outside: One Hundred and Sixty!
• Total videos watched by other YouTubers: 0.
• Currently feeling: So full. So tired. But also so wanting to start playing and singing along to holiday music. This time last year, I didn’t have the vocal training I have now. Which means an “O Holy Night” video is going to happen.
• Currently looping: Lindsey Stirling’s live performance of “Warmer in the Winter.” IT’S HOLIDAY MUSIC SEASON, GUYS.

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, travel safe, and listen to your favorite holiday album!