Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone is staying as safe and sane as can be. This week, I did another driving lesson, panic-cleaned my apartment for my sister’s family’s visit, and wrote greeting cards. Daily summaries below!

December 16, 2022

• Card writing! I’m trying to balance this with dissertationing, but it’s a bit harder to do in practice than it sounded in my head.
• Okay, guys, I hate to say it, but I don’t think I can support shopping at L.A. Burdick this year. Their NYC location hasn’t fixed their wheelchair lift, and it’s been months. There are so many other places I can buy high quality chocolates (including this new place that opened around the corner from Burdick), and they’re in wheelchair accessible locations (i.e. they want my business).
• Worked out with an SCI trainer! We almost have the standing bar setup just right. Almost.
• So much dissertationing. So many words typed. So many more words that need to be typed. This chapter is going to be well over 10,000 words (over 40 pages-ish). How much of this is me being wordy?
• Washed a bunch of makeup brushes because I’m running low on clean ones.
• Wordle: In four!
• Currently feeling: So productive! But like also this is the time to be productive because I told my advisor I would get this chapter draft to him by the end of the year.
• Currently looping: Small Town Titans’ cover of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” How has it taken me this long to listen to this incredible metal cover?!

December 17, 2022

• So tired from staying up late to dissertate. Should probably take a breather today.
• Did the FES cycle. Caught a bit of the World Cup bronze medal (consolation?) match, so that was fun.
• My boyfriend’s here! He brought fancy black forest pie.
• Omg, this pie is amazing.
• Wrote some more holiday cards. I really need to verify some addresses.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: I think I’m halfway through my greeting card list? Apologies to some, I abandoned my strategy of typing letters beforehand and am basically just rambling in each card. Rambling with love, but still rambling.
• Currently looping: No holiday song in particular, just my holiday playlist.

December 18, 2022

• Holy cow, that World Cup final!! So happy for Messi. He seems like the Roger Federer of soccer, in that he’s highly respected and kind of a GOAT, but also like the Ichiro of soccer in that he hadn’t won a world championship before (except now he’s not like Ichiro because he did win the championship…sorry, Ichiro).
• My boyfriend and I went outside and took a photo in front of a Christmas tree in a nearby park. We really don’t have a lot of photos together, so this was nice.
• We then took another selfie when we were in a checkout line at a store and we saw a novelty two-pound Rice Krispy Treat bar.
• Then we went back to my place and watched a lot of “Bob’s Burgers.”
• Wrote hella holiday cards.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Yay, lazy Sunday!
• Currently looping: Holiday music, again. What else?

December 19, 2022

• Driving lesson number three! Turns and parallel parking.
• Geez, people sure like to honk at people on a Monday afternoon in a residential area. Like, seriously, where are you going at this time that’s so urgent? School isn’t even out yet.
• Got lunch with my mother, and then bubble tea!
• Met up with the #triotime ladies for happy hour!
• Tidied up and lost track of time. Had “The Muppets Christmas Carol” on in the background, because of course I did.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Oh my goodness, I really need to tidy up my apartment. But yay for more driving!
• Currently looping: Okay, so I found out that Whitney Houston has a holiday album, and it is magical. How did it take me this long to search for this?

December 20, 2022

• Did the FES cycle and finished this season of “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” The podcast is also pretty good.
• I think I’m done writing holiday cards?
• I was going to go outside and do some returns, but time got away from me.
• Catheter reorder site glitching. Rats.
• Tidying up is taking forever. Also, whoops, was I supposed to charge the vacuum cleaner?
• I know what’s fun! Having the animated “Anastasia” film on in the background while I tidy up.
• Wordle: In two!
• Currently feeling: Like I don’t have enough time to tidy up my apartment.
• Currently looping: Holiday music, of course!

December 21, 2022

• Was going to be super duper productive this morning, but I had to call my insurance to be like, “What is going on here?” and they were like, “Oh yeah, your provider sent the wrong details, so we’re blaming you.” And when I pointed out that this wasn’t a thing I could have prevented (because you know, my provider made the mistake after I gave them accurate information), the not very nice person on the phone still made it sound like it was my fault.
• Like, dude, did Santa give you coal four days before Christmas? What is your problem?
• I also spoke with different providers to fix all the insurance info, because this insurance company decided to tell each provider that it was no longer my primary insurance (even though it is).
• Moral of the story: if a provider mistakenly bills your primary as your secondary insurance, that insurance company will be all too happy to kick you off their primary coverage and blame you for it. Right before Christmas no less.
• My boyfriend showed up while I was panic cleaning my apartment and I mentioned I was going to get a matcha latte, but couldn’t because of all the tidying up.
• Cue boyfriend getting me a matcha latte and helping me wrap this big ass present for my niece. We had to use two drastically different wrapping papers, because they were all I had.
• I love my boyfriend.
• He later walked me to the bookstore so I could make some returns.
• My apartment is vacuumed, tidied (as much as can be because I might be a snack hoarder), and ready for company. Huzzah!
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: If someone you know is panicking because they have to call insurance companies to make sure their catheter delivery happens, please don’t be mean to them on the phone and blame them for their problems. That’s just rude.
• Currently looping: Holiday playlist! Jewel’s “Joy: A Holiday Collection” is surprisingly delightful.

December 22, 2022

• Did the FES cycle.
• My sister’s here! And she brought her husband and kids!
• Oh my goodness, kids are the equivalent of a house tornado.
• Went to a wine bar with my sister and boyfriend!
• Got back and witnessed the chaos that is “getting the kids to sleep.”
• Folks, parenting life is not for me. Even if the kids are adorable.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Oh snap, it’s late again. But it was nice to catch up with everyone =)
• Currently looping: Holiday hits, what else?

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, get your boosters, and check out which of your favorite artists have holiday albums!