Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone is staying as safe and sane as possible. This week, I watched the World Cup, started scheduling driving lessons, and geeked out over my Spotify Wrapped. Daily summaries below!

November 25, 2022

• I am still full from yesterday. Or hung over. But I don’t remember drinking that much?
• Got to catch up briefly with my bestie over the phone. Hopefully I’ll get to see her before the new year.
• Did the FES cycle. Could not resist the siren call of Black Friday sales. Although in my defense (do I need to defend myself?), I ordered chocolate from a small business, and got an email confirmation that my candle order (from a different small business) is on its way. Funny, both of those businesses are in San Francisco.
• Did some dissertationing! I think I hit 500 words today, so that’s good.
• Ate Thanksgiving leftovers, and yup, still full. But I think my apartment smells like raw potato (probably from the potato that slipped out of my hand while I was peeling it, which then rolled under the pantry), so I cleaned the floor around that area. We shall see if that fixes the issue.
• Oh dear, it’s late and I still haven’t done the dishes. I should go do those.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: Going to bed late, in part because I started dissertation tinkering again. I’m about halfway through this chapter? And fine, I’m basically just going through the stories of Gregory of Tours and adding in relevant secondary literature before I butt in, but that’s what scholarship is, right?
• Currently looping: It’ll be my holiday playlist for a while, but I did watch the “Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special” and it was delightful. Near the end of the movie, they played The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Christmastime.” Brilliant song choice (actually, most of the holiday songs during the special were awesome).

November 26, 2022

• Did the FES cycle.
• I am so tempted to get this. Love some Pusheen. And doughnuts.
• My boyfriend’s here! He brought me a matcha latte. And we ate pecan pie.
• A man after my own heart.
• We watched “Black Dynamite” (it’s a film that calls back to/parodies the Blaxploitation films of the ‘60s and ‘70s), and it’s pretty hilarious.
• Did some vocal warmups, because I need to keep that up to maintain results (or improve?). But I don’t want to take a two-month break like I did during both procedures. That’s not good for my vocal cords. Especially if I want to do some busking someday (I’m still convinced it pays as much or more than an adjunct position).
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: So full from more Thanksgiving leftovers.
• Currently looping: More holiday music, because of course.

November 27, 2022

• Finally got my boyfriend to watch “Up.”
• Lazy Sunday. Tidied up. Watched some World Cup coverage on Telemundo (Spain vs. Germany).
• More pecan pie. I think we’ve pretty much knocked off the Thanksgiving leftovers.
• Wordle: In four!
• Currently feeling: Didn’t do enough dissertationing this weekend, but I’ll catch up. Eventually.
• Currently looping: Subjected my boyfriend to my love of holiday music. He seemed to tolerate it well.

November 28, 2022

• Caught up with a friend I haven’t seen in years.
• More phone calls. Including one to a driving school, and dangit, learning how to drive is hella expensive for wheelchair users.
• Still gonna do it, because independence and all that.
• Worked out with an SCI trainer. Had the World Cup (Portugal vs. Uruguay) in the background.
• Started getting hella boxes from my Black Friday week orders. I may have gone slightly overboard.
• Slightly.
• Did laundry.
• Didn’t have time to do dissertationing today, but I’m sure there will be other days this week I can catch up.
• What is this Instafest thing? It looks fun. I wonder who’d be in my concert lineup.
• Wordle: In three!
• Currently feeling: It’s almost holiday card time! Gotta start verifying some addresses. And hey, this will give me more motivation to do my dissertation, because the light at the end of the tunnel is writing holiday cards!
• Currently looping: More holiday music, because of course.

November 29, 2022

• PTW had to cancel today because my trainer was out sick, so I did the FES cycle instead. I hope she feels better soon!
• Also, speaking of PTW, if you need a charity for Giving Tuesday, you know I’m always going to recommend the only adaptive gym I’ve been going to consistently for the past…thirteen years now? Wow, that’s a while.
• Went to a work function for my boyfriend’s place of work and got to meet his coworkers and boss. I’m glad he’s working with such lovely people. Kind of wish I could invite him to a holiday work function (i.e. a History department event), except I have no intention of dragging him (and myself) an hour and a half to Princeton for a two-hour party.
• Also got to wheel around outside and it was quite nice out, especially for 42 degrees.
• It’s so difficult to swipe my card/use OMNY while getting on the bus. I nearly tipped over backwards just getting up the ramp. By the time I’m on level ground on the bus, the OMNY reader is out of reach. And the bus operator isn’t allowed to tap/insert my card, even though it’s a lot easier if I just hand it to them once I’m in the wheelchair area of the bus.
• “Ratatouille” is on television, so of course I’m going to have it on in the background.
• Wordle: In four!
• Currently feeling: On the one hand, I went overboard on my Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping. On the other hand, oh my gosh, the sales today are even better. WHY.
• Currently looping: The Backstreet Boys put out their own rendition of “Last Christmas” and it’s so boyband-y that I can’t help but love it.

November 30, 2022

• Phone calls and emails.
• SPOTIFY WRAPPED IS OUT! And my top song of 2022 is Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Run Away With Me” because of course it is.
• Side note, I just found this amazing live performance.
• Worked out with an SCI trainer. Turns out I have zero balance sitting on my own couch. Lol.
• Got more packages.
• I know I have to continue my dissertation, but there are like ten other things happening right now that are time sensitive and I hope my advisor forgives me for the delayed chapter.
• Watched the NBC holiday tree lighting thing, but then missed the actual lighting because I was in my standing frame and not totally paying attention.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: I’LL BE YOUR HERO AND WIN IT. (Yes, that’s a line from “Run Away With Me.” I will be singing this at my birthday karaoke and no one can stop me.)
• Currently looping: This GORGEOUS live performance of “Hallelujah” by K.D. Lang.

December 1, 2022

• Went to Push to Walk and got my ass kicked.
• Got bubble tea afterwards!
• “Frozen 2” was on television, so that was nice.
• Even with a clock, time goes by too quickly in my apartment.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: I’m happy it’s December.
• Currently looping: Not much music. Forgot to even open my laptop today.

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, get your flu shots/covid boosters, and holy cow, how is it already December?