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valerie · 14 days

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TWITL - week 15 - wonky weather

Oof, I didn't write at all during the week? I think I was just tired all week. The weather was hot one day and a couple of days later, rain! I didn't mind the rain even though it was on Saturday and derailed our plans to go to farmers market. Let's see, what was the week like? I'll pick a picture from each day... https://flic.kr/p/2pJ8Nw7 Hmm, didn't see anything during the eclipse... Monday was the eclipse but we were nowhere near the path of totality so nothing too weird like back in 2017 (?) when the day seemed to darken a touch and the shadows showed those little crescents. I was hoping for those shadows but alas! https://flic.kr/p/2pK9Lzm me at the library during my lunch break Tuesday was cool enough for me to wear my jean jacket during my walk to the library on my lunch break. I look super thrilled in this shot, don't I? Whatevs. https://flic.kr/p/2pJPaMr two work monitors This is a shot from Wednesday. I like having two monitors at work and having the wallpapers rotate. I need to update some of the photos of the fellas. Sabina is the only other woman who appears on my wallpapers besides me. I think that's because I totally adore her. Hopefully she's at Tyler's show at the Hard Rock when we go. I'd love another picture with her! https://flic.kr/p/2pJMVzU City Park is always a lovely spot in the middle of the day I walked to City Park on Thursday even though it was rather warm. I didn't think it was so bad but then I started sweating a bit while sitting on the bench with the view above. Still, it was nice to be at the park, sitting on the bench while listening to my audiobook. https://flic.kr/p/2pJRyLs Squirrel at work I might have a strange fascination with squirrels. I don't mind seeing them living their lives, climbing the trees, dashing past me before I can get my phone out to take a picture. The squirrel above ran up and settled there to work a nut it had. I could hear it from where I was standing, which was not too close. Oh squirrels. https://flic.kr/p/2pK9AUw Casper dog at Boondoggies https://flic.kr/p/2pK6CQF Jameson mule We missed farmers market on Saturday because of the rain but when I saw one of our favorite bartenders would be working at Crown and Crow that evening, we decided to go out. We had Casper dogs at Boondoggies then headed to Crown and Crow for some drinks. It was great to see Marilyn! It had been forever. I had two Jameson mules and I realized upon my first sip that the last time I had Jameson was in Ireland. Awwww. Argylle is streaming on Apple TV+! We watched it last night and I still love it as much as I did when I saw it at the movie theatre. It's such a fun watch. Hmm, Henry Cavill. I want to buy that movie on 4K blu-ray. Yes, I like it that much. If you have Apple TV+, give it a watch. Locked Up - Sam Hunt - Sam has a new EP ready to buy/stream. It's great to have new music from him. I need to listen to the EP on repeat for a feel of the songs. I've only really listened to "Locked Up" more than a few times (I like it!). "Dare You to Doubt Me" - The Script - This song came out sometime last year and I just discovered it this week. What kind of fan am I? Not a very good one! It's a good song. I wonder when they're going to come out with new music. https://flic.kr/p/2pK8VXY The Delta, re-opening soon? This work week will see us off from work on Wednesday. Fun times! ;) Read the full article

#HenryCavill #movies #samhunt

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valerie · 21 days

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TWITL - week 14 - after spring break

Tuesday - 02 April Yesterday was the first day of the 4th quarter and first day back from spring break. I had a lot of emails to go through! I didn't have a lot of voicemails, which was surprising. Or maybe not. I was glad for the end of the work day and after eating dinner, I ended up "resting my eyes" long enough to wake up and go to bed. Guess I was tired. Let's see how today goes. It's a minute until my usual time to start my routine of getting ready for work. Wish me luck! https://flic.kr/p/2pGWHz3 Thursday - 04 April I liked the way my post on Ireland worked out. Writing then later adding the pictures worked for me. Maybe I'll do that with my TWITL posts. Write (not everyday, apparently) then add random photos from that particular day. What do you think? Friday - 05 April Yes to Friday! I think I would have been tired this week even without having gone to Ireland but not this tired. I have felt so dragged at the end of every day this work week. I'm so glad it's Friday! The weather turned cold and gloomy and rainy yesterday and I think I loved it. It reminded me of Ireland! (Except it never hailed in Ireland while we were there.) I didn't mind the rain and having to walk through it for a couple of minutes yesterday. It wasn't a big deal. Gave me a good reason to wear a sweater yesterday. Workmates and I went out to lunch yesterday to celebrate a birthday. I ate all my food! I must have been hungry. CreAsian always hits a spot for me. https://flic.kr/p/2pHkCJY lunch https://flic.kr/p/2pHfGwm HBD CM! https://flic.kr/p/2pHpdz6 It's been awhile since I've really talked about baseball. Before I made this my blogging place, I used my other domain (moonlitjazz.com) as my blog and I used to talk baseball all the time. I'd post that day's game stats plus my thoughts on the game, if I happened to watch it or listen along. I've been a fan of the Oakland Athletics since I was a teenager and when Mark Mulder was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, I became a Cardinals fan (much to the delight of the husband). I counted myself an A's fan first then Cardinals. If they ever matched up in the World Series, I was going to cheer for the A's, of course. https://flic.kr/p/avmwi3 2005 - now he's the manager of the A's! I was born in Oakland and spent the first few months of my life there before we moved to Alameda. When I was going to start second grade, we moved to San Leandro. My aunt used to watch baseball all the time and I scoffed a little about it because I was all about football and the Niners. But sometime in high school, I fell hard for baseball and the Oakland Athletics. It was the time of the Bash Brothers and the A's were exciting. My cousin, friends, and my sister and I would go to the games, just us, and we had a blast. I love baseball and I loved the A's because they were from my part of the Bay Area, the East Bay. (I was and still am mostly indifferent to the Giants and the best I can say about them is that I LOVE their stadium. I don't mind if they win, as long as it isn't against the A's or Cardinals.) The A's were my team and I loved their "small market" ways and when they were winning, it was so exhilarating. https://flic.kr/p/jB4vE from August 2006 We went to a lot of games over the years and I can even remember some of them but in the last decade, we've been lucky to go to one game a season. And I was fine with that. My love for baseball is constant but my attention not so much. And the A's couldn't seem to keep the players that caught my eye and it's been a constant turnaround with them. I never thought they'd really leave. When the talk about it started, I blamed the city of Oakland. But as I read more and watched more, I realized that it was the team owner making all the wrong moves. The team might be rooted in Oakland but the owner is rooted in the almighty dollar. I still blame Oakland (49%) for not doing more but the A's owner gets 51% of the blame. It's him for sure but does Oakland even deserve a team at this point? They lost the Raiders (not a big deal to me but...) and the Warriors. Now it's the A's departing. https://flic.kr/p/4Ky9kG 2008 This is the last season of Athletics baseball in Oakland. After this season, they'll be a Triple-A team in Sacramento. Wait, I mean they're going to be playing in a Triple-A facility. It'll be at least three years there. Maybe, if Las Vegas doesn't happen, Sacramento will become their new home. Maybe this is Sacramento's chance to say, "Hey, we can totally accommodate a Major League Baseball team. Come, make your baseball home here." Maybe I won't be so heartbroken if the A's end up in Sacramento permanently. At least they'd be in a place that's a drive away as opposed to a plane flight away. (And now I'm wondering what will happen if the A's somehow reach the post season and the World Series while calling Sacramento home. Will forces be at work to make sure that doesn't happen? Is that why the team sucks right now? Curious.) Right now, though, I am SO INFURIATED by the whole thing. It feels like an utter betrayal and my baseball heart is breaking. I don't blame the team, the players, the people who work for them. I blame the owner and Oakland. Maybe I'm angry at MLB too, for letting their greed dictate this move. I am sad for the team. I am sad for the players. And I am so sad for us, the fans. My love was constant even if my attention was not and now that love is being tested. https://flic.kr/p/2muJJ6y 2021 I love baseball. But do I still love the A's? Or will I focus all my baseball love on the St. Louis Cardinals? Stay tuned! Sunday - 07 April Here we are at Sunday already. We visited my parent yesterday and I was able to give them some stuff we picked up in Ireland. I used to complain about the weather in San Leandro and how cold it is in my parents' house but nowadays, I don't mind the bit of chill at all. The weather is going to change much too soon if the forecast is to be trusted. https://flic.kr/p/2pHU9Je The drive through Vasco was so green. The hills are still green, probably because of the chill and recent rain. I love seeing all that green. It reminds me of Ireland. It also makes me appreciate the natural beauty here. https://flic.kr/p/2pHSrje as seen on Vasco https://flic.kr/p/2pHUL1C burgers from In-N-Out - Bought tickets to see Tyler at the Hard Rock Sacramento in July. It feels like it's been so long since we've seen him. It'll be great to see him and catch up with some of the Rich's Bi$ches. ;) Hopefully we get to say hey to Tyler. - Sam Hunt has a new EP out, Locked Up. Listening to it right now. - We're going to the A's v Cardinals game the day after our anniversary (which is what led to me writing the baseball stuff earlier in this post). I thought about wearing my Cardinals jersey for the game but I'm going to wear my A's jersey. It could very well likely be our last time going to an Oakland Athletics game. We shall see... https://flic.kr/p/2pHUwKd me Read the full article

#a's #baseball #music #samhunt #tylerrich #TylerRich

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valerie · 26 days

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Adventures in Ireland

Tuesday - 19 March - First day of Spring One more sleep until we leave for Ireland! I don't think I'll be posting any TWITL entries while we're away so I thought I'd start this one as my diary on Ireland and then post when we're back home. So it's in the moment but you won't read it until we're home. Or on our way home. We'll see. https://flic.kr/p/2pEeX6m work companions in vacation mode Thursday - 21 March - Here in Dublin! The bullet points first: - The flight was LONG but uneventful. The seats across the aisle from us were open so R took that aisle seat and I had our bit of the row to myself. I managed to sleep after dinner (BBQ chicken with rice and corn). I watched Wonka in bits and pieces. Why do I already LOVE that movie? - Leaving the airport was actually quite easy and we ended up in a taxi to our hotel. Our driver, Edward, was a lovely gentleman of 71 years. He easily chatted with us and told us some of the spots to see then told us a bit about his life. It was a nice drive. - We checked in at Harrington Hall and I misheard "lift" as "left." Alas! Our room is one of the two level suites (the bed is in a loft area). It's rather spiffy! - Our first pub was The Landmark. I had my first Guinness in Ireland there and managed to split the G. Good on me! Ha! The pub was laid back and casual and I liked that it was our first Irish pub experience. I heard more Irish accents than not so maybe that means we were the only tourists in the place? Who knows! - Our first eating experience was a place called Eddie Rocket's City Diner, which I think is a take on Johnny Rockets? I know, I know, American style food for our first food experience in Ireland but we were hungry after our flight so it felt like a safe bet. The burger was fine, I liked the bun, but the service was neglectful at best after the food was delivered. - We hit the Tesco afterwards for some snacks and drinks. Nothing too perishable as our room does not have a refrigerator. https://flic.kr/p/2pEE234 leaving California https://flic.kr/p/2pECGJt first look of Ireland from the sky https://flic.kr/p/2pEFa1m the Parnell Suite aka home for nine nights https://flic.kr/p/2pECUwm our first drinks were at The Landmark https://flic.kr/p/2pEFiF7 my view at The Landmark https://flic.kr/p/2pEHvtF my first bag of Tayto crisps Friday - 22 March - Bullet points seem to be working so let's go with that for now. - We woke up to construction next door, which was rather annoying but we eventually got over it. If we switch rooms, we'll be closer to the club and the room would be smaller. I think I can deal with the morning noise, now that I know what it is. And ideally, we won't be in our room so much. But we shall see. - We headed out while it was still morning (go us!) and checked out the two parks closest to us-- Iveagh Gardens and St. Stephens Green Park. I realized as we were walking through that I really like parks, especially parks like these two. They were very lovely. Iveagh Gardens is the smaller of the two and rather quiet. St. Stephens Green Park is the big one and has a couple of listening trails. (QR code and walk along to the audio through your earbuds. We didn't do that.) St. Stephens is the popular one and there were lots of people milling about. We didn't go through the whole of each park but I did like them a lot. - After the parks, we checked out the shopping mall and the shops along Grafton Street. We found Molly Malone then stopped at the pub across for some lunch and Guinness. - We had lunch at O'Neill's Pub and Restaurant. I had the Irish Stew and it was AMAZING. Definitely a great choice as my first taste of Irish food (Tayto crisps notwithstanding though those are great too). The whole vibe of the place was great. I could totally hang out there all the time. - Next stop was Tiger Tattoo. I could not go to Ireland without getting a tattoo and I had the perfect one in mind. We walked in and talked with Ross and I was good to go. We chatted while he created my tattoo and there was a moment or two where I mused on why I liked the pain so much. The tattoo looks great and I am so digging it. This is the first tattoo with color since my other wrist tattoo, which is almost 17 years old. (Wow, that's a long time!) I wonder if I'll start not wearing a watch or just switch to wearing it on my right wrist. We shall see! - My after tattoo drink was had at Cassidy's. What a neat place! The bartender was friendly and chatted with us a bit. The place filled up as quitting time approached and by the time we left, it was getting lively. - Our last stop was for dinner and drinks at BrewDog. What a neat place! I had their stout, which has been compared to Guinness. I liked it! Is it on par with Guinness? For me, almost but not quite. For food, I had their wings. SO GOOD! And wow, what a great value. So many wings for the "small" portion. I didn't finish, alas! I'm really glad that we didn't book tours right at the beginning of our time here in Ireland. I feel like we're easing into being here and I like it. We're walking around the city and just checking out different things. I like how we didn't rush too much on this first full day in Ireland. https://flic.kr/p/2pESYF4 me in the Iveagh Gardens https://flic.kr/p/2pESv5c taken from the little bridge at St. Stephens Green Park https://flic.kr/p/2pEQwKi the mall https://flic.kr/p/2pEQvNJ a street off of Grafton Street https://flic.kr/p/2pERK77 visiting Molly Malone https://flic.kr/p/2pERK3e Irish Stew & Guinness https://flic.kr/p/2pEQsDT the Claddagh tattoo https://flic.kr/p/2pEQsvw after tattoo drinks at Cassidy's https://flic.kr/p/2pER1nP BrewDog Saturday - 23 March - Dallied around town and took a fall at Trinity College... - We headed out late (still suffering from jet lag or perhaps the walking from the day before?), walking out of the hotel in the early afternoon. It was raining but that would be the only time we'd have that bit. We walked to Trinity College, which was busy, of course. - Trinity College was neat but the tours were sold out (it is Saturday, after all). It was just so cool to be there. We bought tour tickets for Thursday, so we'll be back! - And the Fall. The Fall went like this-- we were walking out and I slipped on something and fell forward. Skinned my left knee and my right arm/wrist seems rather ginger. I can type so maybe it's not so bad? But it also feels super awkward to do normal things, like eat crisps. What the heck? Hopefully I didn't do too much damage. I was able to walk around so whew! Not sure what's going to happen with the arm. I think it's a little swollen. Alas. - We walked with a protest (now that's something I've NEVER done) before passing through the Temple Bar area. We didn't stop in anywhere there though we did move for the livecam so I could record my screen as evidence that we were there. We crossed the Ha'penny Bridge to visit north of the River Liffey. - The Lotts Cafe Bar - We were hungry and I went for the Smoked Salmon & Poached Eggs. SO GOOD. The place was nice and perhaps slightly fancy, which was fine. The food was good and I had my day's Guinness there. - We walked around and actually checked out a mall. Since it's Saturday, it was busy and it felt like Christmas time in an American mall (back in the day). We also walked into a Filipino place called Filipino Bakery and Cafe. I know, right? I wish I had been hungry enough to try something. It smelled good in there and the workers all looked Filipino and I heard the language spoken. - Our next stop was O'Riordans. We had drinks while watching Ireland play Belgium in soccer. It ended in a tie. But it was a nice spot to watch the match. - We had more drinks at Cassidy's (sitting in the same spot as our first time in), then headed to Tesco to get some snacks for the room. A nice full day! https://flic.kr/p/2pF2d5N a beautiful view at Trinity College https://flic.kr/p/2pF1i7n a protest https://flic.kr/p/2pEU5zd passing through the Temple Bar area https://flic.kr/p/2pETP12 Ha'penny Bridge https://flic.kr/p/2pEZk8s food and drink at the Lotts Cafe Bar https://flic.kr/p/2pETEu9 Filipino Bakery and Cafe https://flic.kr/p/2pF2hFW another view of the Temple Bar area https://flic.kr/p/2pF87JZ crisps with my drink at Cassidy's Sunday - 24 March Today we took the Rural Pub Tour and it was great! We walked to Dublin Castle to meet the tour and then we went into the Dublin countryside. We checked out three pubs and they were all pretty cool. Our guide Shane was great. He gave us great historical bits and on the way back to Dublin, we sang songs to pass the time. Good times! - The Merry Ploughboy - Our first stop! I had the Sullivans Irish Ale (red). It was good! The vibe of the place was very homey/comfy. We were only there for an hour but I enjoyed that hour there. - Johnnie Fox's - Our second and longest stop! I had the Bulmers Cider to go with my Beef and Guinness Pie. DELICIOUS! - The Blue Light - And the last stop. We drank our pints outside and it was quite brisk! The view was lovely though so it wasn't a big deal sitting out in that cool breeze. Tomorrow is our tour to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. A nice long day. Should be fun! https://flic.kr/p/2pFdEKp first stop https://flic.kr/p/2pFchRR second stop - Johnnie Fox's https://flic.kr/p/2pF63HL us https://flic.kr/p/2pFaqLp the Guinness at the Blue Light https://flic.kr/p/2pFeRYT great view at the Blue Light https://flic.kr/p/2pFdLwW The Blue Light Monday - 25 March Our day started early! We woke up at 4:30 AM to get to St. Stephens Green North by 6:45 AM. This was our first tour with Paddywagon Tours to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway from Dublin. The drive was long but it gave us all a chance to nap since it was so early. - Galway - The weather was cold and a bit rainy but we didn't mind. We had a quick bite at McDonalds (I know, I know) then headed to the Claddagh Jewellers store. Of course I had to get a Claddagh ring for myself. An actual Claddagh from Ireland! - Cliffs of Moher - It was a long and twisty drive to the cliffs but lo, it was worth it. Such a beautiful spot! It was cold and windy but clear enough see the cliffs. We only walked the one side but it was enough. I'm so glad that we were able to see it and feel it. We hit the gift shop while we were there and we did buy some items. - We had lunch at Frantic Chefs which was just the right amount of food and time to rest up for the long drive back to Dublin. I slept a lot on the way back but did wake up to take some shots from the drive of the setting sun. - Tapped - We had drinks and dinner. I almost forgot to have my daily Guinness but luckily remembered near the end of my first drink. Whew! I had a chicken Caesar salad, which hit the spot. https://flic.kr/p/2pFrEDa pretty view from the bus https://flic.kr/p/2pFrxiJ a quick stop for the view https://flic.kr/p/2pFpLyC Cliffs of Moher https://flic.kr/p/2pFjYvV Cliffs of Moher https://flic.kr/p/2pFqwXE us https://flic.kr/p/2pFpmbe Cliffs of Moher https://flic.kr/p/2pFqnKB Cliffs of Moher https://flic.kr/p/2pFrYU2 on our way back, sun setting https://flic.kr/p/2pFy2kU the front of Harrington Hall Tuesday - 26 March Guinness Storehouse - Our taxi driver asked why we were going to that tourist trap! All in good fun (but so true too). Yes, we took a taxi there. Probably should have taken a taxi back too because, whew, we got in a lot of steps today! - The Guinness Storehouse is massive! We had a 12 PM ticket, along with the Stoutie, which we just had to do! It was all very fascinating but I think we're just happy to have gotten to it, since we drink Guinness and we had to learn more about it. - The Gravity Bar is neat-oh but alas, we weren't able to get a seat. Still, even standing it's pretty impressive to see Dublin in such a way. https://flic.kr/p/2pFFHw3 Guinness https://flic.kr/p/2pFxPqz crisps and a Guinness mocha https://flic.kr/p/2pFBwgA our stouties https://flic.kr/p/2pFBrUE us https://flic.kr/p/2pFDHGr me The rest of the day went like so... - We finally had our boxty! I had the Gaelic Boxty (oops, it was plus 9 euro), which was DELICIOUS. The service was amazing. Everyone should go to Gallagher's Boxty House. Such a treat! - The Temple Bar - You know we had to do this. Lord, that bar is full and loud yet we got a couple of good seats and were able to enjoy some live music. Loud and busy vibe for sure. If you must do it, do it, right? We also found ourselves on the livecam and I recorded us while we were there. Because of course. - After the Temple Bar, we walked the long walk and ended up at Sinnotts Bar for a pint. It was a good resting place. I had a Heineken 0.0 because I realized while drinking my Baileys coffee at the Temple Bar that I need to pace myself on the alcohol. Ye gods. - A quick stop to the Circle K and the Rolling Donut and we were back to our room to rest. We have a day tour tomorrow so must rest for that now... https://flic.kr/p/2pFC2Ar my boxty https://flic.kr/p/2pFQnX3 us at the Temple Bar https://flic.kr/p/2pFQnRb Bailey's Coffee https://flic.kr/p/2pFJbQZ us again https://flic.kr/p/2pFCY1C The Temple Bar https://flic.kr/p/2pFCKCM walking along Wednesday - 27 March Today's bus tour took us to Kilkenny and Wicklow! - We went to County Wicklow first, to the Glendalough Valley. This involved a lot of walking-- 3 miles for us! But it was lovely and beautiful and the weather changed at least three times while we were walking. I tell ya, this Irish weather is full of surprises! We saw a rainbow while we were walking. I feel like it means something to see a rainbow in Ireland. - In Kilkenny, we visited the Kilkenny Castle. My first time in a castle! It was very cool and I was most impressed with the Picture Gallery Wing. I felt like I was walking into a room from a Jane Austen novel. It was amazing. - We had a snacky lunch at the bar in the Kilkenny Hibernian. A kindly gentleman chatted us up when we were just leaving. He was so lovely. He said he lived just down the road, so he was a local. - The drive back to Dublin was uneventful and after getting dropped off, we went to the Bleeding Horse for drinks and dinner. I had pork belly and it was so good! A lovely young woman started singing behind us and she was pretty good! (I'm pretty sure it's Brí. Giving her a follow.) We've been here a week! It's nice being away from work for sure. And I love that we're in Ireland. https://flic.kr/p/2pFJcHq along the drive https://flic.kr/p/2pFPMjz at the cemetery https://flic.kr/p/2pFR2fF final resting places https://flic.kr/p/2pFR2UM rushing water https://flic.kr/p/2pFMn8W rainbow https://flic.kr/p/2pFQvEC the first lake https://flic.kr/p/2pFJjYH the second lake https://flic.kr/p/2pFJkoW what a view https://flic.kr/p/2pFNNQa along the drive https://flic.kr/p/2pFQyJZ as seen in Kilkenny https://flic.kr/p/2pFGHkF Kilkenny Castle https://flic.kr/p/2pFQBNE the library at the Kilkenny Castle https://flic.kr/p/2pFNUN2 the view from the castle https://flic.kr/p/2pFNXaB the picture gallery https://flic.kr/p/2pFQfsd back in Dublin, the sun over the River Liffey https://flic.kr/p/2pFJ3R7 pork belly dinner = delicious! Thursday - 28 March Today was an easy day. We had one thing to do-- Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells experience. And lo, it was an experience. (Oh, and the spot of my fall? It had a cone citing under maintenance. So maybe I wasn't the first or the last to trip and fall?) - The Book of Kells experience was cool. I loved going through the Long Room. It wasn't as crowded as I've seen in videos and doing the self-guided tour kept it at our own pace. Very much enjoyed it! - We had lunch and drinks at The Brazen Head. Bangers and mash, finally. And it was so good! The people seated around us that I could hear all had American accents until some Spainards, I think, were later seated. So, tourist trap? Worth it! The food was good. - Our last stop was Darkey Kelly's! I had a cider then a Bailey's coffee. Both yummy. Another pub with a definite vibe. We sat at the bar and just chilled. The best! We have one more full day of Ireland. We're set to hit Jameson tomorrow then some shopping. It should be another easy day. I love being here but I'm also ready to be home once more. https://flic.kr/p/2pFT8Bg Trinity College https://flic.kr/p/2pFXFWc from a page of the Book of Kells https://flic.kr/p/2pGzXoM the artistry https://flic.kr/p/2pGyJDt The Long Room https://flic.kr/p/2pGA2kz The Long Room https://flic.kr/p/2pGzufh us https://flic.kr/p/2pGA4v1 facsimile of the Book of Kells https://flic.kr/p/2pGxQpB Trinity College https://flic.kr/p/2pGzAwF The Brazen Head https://flic.kr/p/2pGtwdF Ahhh, Guinness https://flic.kr/p/2pFT8qe Bangers and Mash https://flic.kr/p/2pFU7uV stopping in at Darkey Kelly's https://flic.kr/p/2pFU8eq Bailey's Coffee https://flic.kr/p/2pFU8tZ some words about Darkey Kelly's https://flic.kr/p/2pG1m6N walking along Friday - 29 March Our last full day in Ireland and we're already back in our room. Read the full article

#Dublin #ireland #travel

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valerie · 1 month

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TWITL - week 11

Tuesday - 12 March After today, just FIVE more days of work before IRELAND! I am super excited and yes, still anxious. I'm thinking of what clothes to bring and am just now realizing this is probably one of the longest vacations we're taking in a LONG time. Yesterday I felt the effects of Daylight Saving Time and I did not like it at all. I felt so dragged! It made no sense to me so I went to bed early last night, like an hour early, and we'll see if I feel better today. It's raining right now (a bit before seven am) and the sky is rather dark. Friday - 15 March The Ides of March. After today, just TWO more days of work then IRELAND! Going to do laundry, iron clothes, and pack most of our stuff this weekend. Trying to figure out what I need to bring, clothes wise. I feel like I'll be doing a lot of layering because of the weather. Monday - 18 March I didn't write very much last week, did I? Let's do some bullet style bits. - I've been watching the livestream from The Temple Bar area, trying to gauge the crowded times and just plain enjoying the far away people watching. When we're there, I plan on recording my phone while standing by the stop sign. Then I'll be showing off to everyone when we get home. :D - I spent a lot of the weekend doing laundry and ironing clothes then packing. I'm somehow under the weight limit. Go me! - Spring Break has started! Joy! I'm going to have so much on my desk left unattended but such is life. And now, some pictures from the past week and weekend... https://flic.kr/p/2pDBHkb https://flic.kr/p/2pD7YrQ https://flic.kr/p/2pDa6n2 https://flic.kr/p/2pDMbfV Depending on our wifi, the next time I write here might be from Éire. Wouldn't that be cool? We'll see. I might be too busy or tired or both! Happy Spring Break! Read the full article

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valerie · 2 months

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TWITL - week 10 - counting down

Tuesday - 05 March Let the countdown begin! I'm measuring my time until vacation by workdays. After today, just ten workdays until vacation! I AM EXCITED. Threads, Instagram, and Facebook went down for a bit of time this morning. I didn't really care about Facebook except that I have a group chat on Messenger and it was a bummer to not being able to chat with them for a bit of the time. Alas! I did care about Threads because it has become my main social media outlet. I like posting there and reading posts there. I was glad when it came back online. For some reason, I wasn't too worried about Instagram. While those platforms were down, I checked out my other social media accounts. Spoutible was in its own little world, per usual, and Bluesky was as mellow as it always is. Honestly, I find Bluesky a bit boring. Even when I try the "discover" tab, it's rather dull. At least Spoutible is full of real people. I just wish more of my friends used it. Friday - 08 March Happy Birthday to my sweets! It's nice when birthdays fall on Fridays, isn't it? Sunday - 10 March Why is it already Sunday evening? Darn it! Here are some pictures of our weekend: https://flic.kr/p/2pCmrSM https://flic.kr/p/2pCfkF3 https://flic.kr/p/2pCjMg2 We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory on Friday night. So good! https://flic.kr/p/2pCw6Wq The Delta is supposed to open soon https://flic.kr/p/2pCv5se day drinking on Saturday afternoon https://flic.kr/p/2pCGmXf MOVIES Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - The nicest thing I can say about this movie is that it looked pretty decent, Jason Momoa was having fun, and I liked the Guinness product placement. I am so glad I didn't watch the movie in the theatre because I would have been angry about spending my money on it. Wonka - Now this one, I should have watched at the movie theatre because IT IS MAGICAL. I loved that is started with a musical number and went on from there. SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. I got teary eyed for some of it. I really did love it and the musical numbers were so very lovely. https://flic.kr/p/2pCjkjn this makes me sad Seven more work days until Ireland!!! Tours booked for three of our days there. Looks like the highs will be in the 50s, along with showers. I don't mind. I'll be happy to be somewhere new and eating new foods and drinking a Guinness every day. Is that a crazy goal? ;) https://flic.kr/p/2pCFgKS Read the full article

#movies

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valerie · 2 months

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TWITL - week 9 - easy smiles

TUESDAY - 27 February This month is surely flying by. It's always my busiest month and this year it's compounded by the addition of expulsions. Alas. https://flic.kr/p/2pAtELv We had Chinese food for dinner last night and that was in my fortune cookie. "Adversity is the prosperity of the great." Interesting! I finished reading a Harlequin Presents romance novel last night. I love those easy reads. It was a decent story but I've realized a few things: - I like when the characters are a bit older. I suppose in the Harlequin Presents stories, the characters have to be relatively young but if at all possible, it's nice when the characters are at least in their late 20s. I'm just not too interested nowadays in reading about female characters in their early 20s with male characters in their 30s. I find it a bit cringey. - I like when the female character is just as established in her career as the male characters, which seems hardly the case in certain types of romance novel lines. I'm sure I just need to venture out of my comfort zone when it comes to the romance novels but perhaps I'm just lazy. - I like when the characters are nearly the same age and even if, , the main male character is a tiny bit younger than the female character. I think that if there must be an age difference, five years is a good amount of time. https://flic.kr/p/2pAtCVn SATURDAY - 2 March If I had a picture with my old high school classmate, I would post it today because it's his birthday today! We also worked together at the movie theatre and I remember when we threw taco sauce packets at each other. All in good fun. I have his high school football picture in one of my albums, which is in storage somewhere. Oh, EARTHQUAKES! We had one on Wednesday night and then another on Thursday night! I was sitting on the couch for both of the them. The one on Wednesday was a JOLTER! Yowsa! The house shook, then I heard a rumble, then the house shook again. It was WILD. SUNDAY - 3 March On Thursday, I received a DM saying that I won a goodies basket from our local wine bar! Neat-oh! One of our local realtors had posted on IG a week or so ago about the goodies basket and I thought, "Why not?" I ended up winning! Go me! He brought over the basket on Friday and it's got some good stuff in it. Can't wait to get into it. https://flic.kr/p/2pB9oZd the goodies basket https://flic.kr/p/2pBstWY Yesterday afternoon I attended a bridal sprinkle party. Such a lovely time for an amazing lady. She has really brought so much heart to my workplace and I'm so glad she's my boss and a friend. The party was an activity! We started with a blank canvas then a cut-out of Frida Kahlo to put on the canvas. We could paint on it, add flowers, and other sparkle. Even though we all started with that same blank canvas and the same cut-out of Frida Kahlo, none of our creations were the same. It was so much fun! Our instructor was amazing and her place was fantastic. I want to do something like that again. https://flic.kr/p/2pBo1yL https://flic.kr/p/2pBsu4g https://flic.kr/p/2pBspWU https://flic.kr/p/2pBsph7 MOVIES Dune: Part Two - Watched the first show in the IMAX auditorium today. I'm glad I watched it on the biggest screen. It was beautiful (of course) and loud (yowsa!) and so striking. It's been awhile since I've read the books so in the back of mind, I was comparing what was happening on screen to what I remembered from the books. The movie is good but it feels like a piece of a whole that is yet incomplete. I hope we're getting a third movie! (I bet we get a third movie.) https://flic.kr/p/2pBu1N8 I went to the showing alone and actually had someone sit next to me. I was hoping that the seat next to me would stay unoccupied but alas, no. He was a tall, thin fella and when the movie got loud, he actually covered his ears a little. It was interesting. He seemed to enjoy the movie well enough though. It's weird sitting next to stranger. The weather turned to a bit cold and a lot rainy the past few days. I don't mind so much. I like wearing my coats and sweaters. It'll end too soon, as far I'm concerned. https://flic.kr/p/2pBhUYm Just twelve working days until vacation. Need to start booking some tours soon! Read the full article

#friends #movies

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valerie · 2 months

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TWITL - week 8 - sunshine through the clouds

MONDAY - 19 February Is it weird that I remember that it's someone's birthday today? Too bad he's not on social media. https://flic.kr/p/4vCFMr no, my name was never "Valerie Hayward" TUESDAY - 20 February https://flic.kr/p/2pzkSgc Back to work today. It was a dreary gray day and the rain started in the afternoon. I was able to take my walk to the library so small blessings, I suppose. I had my window open until it started raining. The breeze was lovely... WEDNESDAY - 21 February We'll be in Ireland in a month. I AM SO EXCITED!!! We need to book a couple of tours so that we get out of Dublin a couple of times but otherwise I'm just looking forward to going to different pubs and restaurants and shops and just enjoying somewhere different. I'm also looking forward to the accents. ;) Have I ever mentioned that I love reading a particular gossip blog? I do! They report on a lot of royal gossip, mostly adoring the Sussexes and mostly wondering what the purpose of the British royal family is. This gossip blog is one of the only places where I *like* to read the comments. Most of the people who comment love the tsismis, of course, but they also have thoughtful perspectives. It's not all "oh, they suck!" or "oh, I just love them!" I mention all of this because there's a bit of a thread on one of the recent posts about how the Sussexes should have an IG. They do not, instead relying on updating their recently launched website to post news and photos. The Sussexes have made it quite clear that they do not like social media so it's not really a surprise that they aren't using it. And I'm all for it. Let's get back to posting on our own domains instead of relying on social media to house our content. I say this even though I love my social media. Having your own website, where you can control your own content and the people who might comment, is the ideal thing. Maybe I'm old school (no maybe, I am) but I still look for the "official" sites for the people I follow and I appreciate them even more when their sites are current and updated. Even if their sites aren't updated and merely point to where else on the internet you can find them, it's still a good thing. Don't depend on the social media for your presence on the internet, my lovelies. https://flic.kr/p/2pzqYRc William Gregory Lee on the episode, "Protect Us," of Genius: MLK/X I was randomly looking through the IMDB and saw that Greg had a new credit so of course I had to check it out. I did some screenshots but didn't listen to his few scenes. After the screenshots, I checked the IMDB on the filming location for this iteration of the show and yes, it was Atlanta, Georgia. Why do I feel like Greg has moved back to the east coast, perhaps even to Georgia? His latest credits have been for productions that filmed in Georgia. I wonder if I would see him whenever I finally go to Georgia to visit. Now that would be cool. SUNDAY - 25 February I was super annoyed the other day from a comment on something I posted. I wanted to vent about it, so I took it to Spoutible. I was glad for the support on my feelings about the scenario. It's easy to dismiss things that are said online and I've done that most of the time. The fact that this time I needed to vent meant that the annoyance had built up enough for me to say something. I should probably talk about here but maybe as a "disconnected" post. Hmm, now there's a thought. https://flic.kr/p/2pzybDL MOVIES Oppenheimer - We watched this one last night (Saturday). It started off a little slow but it picked up after the first hour. I thought it was well done and super interesting. It's a very encompassing movie with non-linear storytelling but it weaves its way well enough. So many familiar faces in the cast! Cillian Murphy was amazing, of course. Emily Blunt seemed a bit underused. Florence Pugh made the most out of her scenes. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as well. I've now seen two of the 2024 Oscar nominees for best picture and if I had to choose, well, I think I would choose this movie to win. (Though it would ROCK if Barbie wins.) Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - These movies never disappoint in terms of action sequences and the latest one has them in spades. Another action packed installment with gorgeous vistas and heart stopping action. The non-actions sequences were thrilling in their own ways. And of course, there has to be a gut punch or two. Cannot wait to see how this one ends. The next one will be the last, right? https://flic.kr/p/2pzvYkh Here's to a good week to you all! It's going to be a 5 day work week after two 4 day work weeks. I miss the long weekends already. Oh well! Read the full article

#movies

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valerie · 2 months

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TWITL - week 7 - intermittent sunshine

MONDAY - 12 February It was a good thing to have the day after the Super Bowl off. Still not happy about the Niners losing. :( WEDNESDAY - 14 February Oh, it's Valentine's Day. As much as I love reading romance novels and occasionally watching rom-coms, I'm not that big on Valentine's Day. It's a "grand gesture" sort of greeting card holiday and not one that we've really fussed about for the longest time. Is this the result of being married for so long? I've come to appreciate the little things and being grateful for the bits of joy and beauty each day brings. https://flic.kr/p/2pyfBzJ Ezzie is so sweet... THURSDAY - 15 February Twenty-two years ago, Kevin Tod Smith died. I think of him with a smile and always with gratitude. I am grateful for those moments of being in the same space with him, for the friends made because of him, for the laughter and love shared because of him. It's almost easy to watch him as Ares on Xena and Hercules but a little harder with his other roles. We watched the Lawless movies he did and those filled me with melancholy and the notion of, "What could have been." I've toyed with writing another Kiari adventure and where she goes, so to Ares as played by Kevin. When I imagine Ares speaking, I still hear him. The dark laughter, the sliver of seduction. I still hear him as Ares. https://flic.kr/p/2kvqMAi Kevin was 38 when he died. He would have turned 39 a month later in March. Is it strange that in my mind, he's still older than me? We didn't get to watch him age into his 40s or 50s so I suppose I'm still picturing myself as a 30 year old when I think of him being older than me. It is WILD to think his oldest son is older than I was when his father died. Damn, time flies. https://flic.kr/p/2pyR4eT I love three day weekends. It's just a great way to decompress and just rest. I'm sitting here at the end of it, wishing it wasn't almost over but glad to have had the time to relax. We went out on Saturday for a hair cut then lunch at Black Angus. The bartender remembered us! So sweet. Food was good. Prime rib, yum! https://flic.kr/p/2pyMhka I finally finished Jessica Simpson's Open Book. It was a good read. I had checked the book out through Libby but I wonder if the audiobook would have been better. I might have gotten through it faster. I've started listening to John Scalzi's The Ghost Brigades and I'm enjoying it so far. I probably should have started it soon after listening to the first book but it's been easy enough to follow. https://flic.kr/p/2pysb3H Just four days of work this week. Nice! Hope everyone has a good one. Read the full article

#books #kevintodsmith

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valerie · 3 months

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TWITL - week 6 - rainy start then sunshine

MONDAY - 5 February Has the storm passed? It sounds a bit wet out there but the rain has stopped and the wind has died down. The weekend weather was pretty wild! It'll be interesting to see what damage it wreaked or if it's all been cleaned up already. I saw a picture of a tree that fell in front of the library. No body was hurt, thank goodness. https://flic.kr/p/2pwBb6o One full week of work. We can get through it. We will get through it. I already know I have a lot of emails to go through when I get to work. I need to write down my tasks during these times so that I don't forget to do the things I must do. It's easy to get caught up in the stuff that must be done but some prioritizing does need to happen sometimes. As is the case here. Percy Jackson and the Olympians - I neglected to talk about the season ender of this FANTASTIC show. It had better come back because I WANT MORE! The show is excellent and okay, it's about kids but all the Greek mythology weaving through it just makes me so happy. I really loved the books (obviously read them as an adult) and the show has done such a fantastic job of bringing the characters and the stories to life. They must give us more. How can they not bring us more? Also, go watch the show. So well done. Argylle - I knew it was a good idea to NOT read any reviews before seeing the movie. I read something about the "twist" and then skimmed through a few comments. The article was not positive and the comments didn't really sound like they were from people who actually watched the movie. I'm telling you, the movie was a fun ride. Was it ridiculous? Of course! Was if funny? So much so. Does it deserve the bad box office return and the negative reviews? Nope, not at all. I'd love to see it again. I really enjoyed it. TUESDAY - 6 February Toby Keith died. I was shocked when I read about it, then a little sad. When I really started listening to country music (mid/late 90s), he was one of the big stars and he had some fun songs in those early days. I enjoyed his music for a long time and then didn't listen much to him in later years. I prefer his fun songs and don't really care for the ones that lean on the patriotic side in an angry fashion. I get that people probably paint him a certain way in this day and age but I still think of him fondly for the songs of his that I do still love. When he sang those drinking songs or songs with stories, he had a way of delivering the words in memorable fashion. If people only want to remember the "bad" stuff about him, that's their prerogative. He was singer and songwriter and I bet he's got a song in his catalog that you'd like if you give it a chance... Thomas Beaudoin won for Best Male Actor at the Central Coast International Film Festival for his role in a short film called Secrets Not Buried. Why do I know such a thing? Oh yes, because I'm claiming Thomas as my latest book boyfriend, which means I'm following his work. And no, I'm not going to pretend that his good looks weren't the first thing to catch my attention. You all know me better than that, right? (Well, you should, my lovelies.) Gosh, I have a type when it comes to my book boyfriends, eh? Anyhoo, I saw that Thomas had won Best Actor and I added the post to my IG story (as one does when trying to show the love and perhaps catch the attention of the book boyfriend) because I was happy for him. I remembered to check on the people who looked at that particular IG story and lo, guess who cast a glance? You knew before I said anything, didn't you? https://flic.kr/p/2pxUBuH Sometimes it happens and yes, I screenshot it... WEDNESDAY - 7 February I finished that audiobook yesterday evening and I'm so relieved! I really did not like the female narrator's voice when doing dialogue and even the male one started to irritate me towards the end. The story itself was all right but I think I should stick to reading romance novels as opposed to listening to them. THURSDAY - 8 February Was it forward of me to DM Chris to ask if he's going to the All Blacks v Fiji match? When I wrote out my message, I was a little nervous but figured I just had to ask because I know he's a big rugby fan. And lo, HE REPLIED!!! I saw that I had a notification on Twitter (yeah, I still call it that and yeah, I still have it) and when I opened the app, I saw that I had a DM. I opened it and there was a message from Chris. I think I let out a little squeak, as one does, and then calmed myself and read his message. He just found out about the match and he had gone to the one in Chicago so he was pretty sure he was going to go with his rugby friends to San Diego. He said that he'll keep me updated. https://flic.kr/p/2pxUEbj This particular screenshot makes me smile... I'm trying to be cool and whatevs about this but nope, can't do it. He read my message, must still find me to be not too crazy, and wrote back to tell me that he was probably going and he'd keep me updated. Fangirl me is super super excited!!! I hope we really do get to meet up. It'll rock! https://flic.kr/p/2pxURib my Sunday look Super Bowl LVIII - Well, that didn't go the way I had hoped. The result is exactly why I don't like going into such a game thinking, "Oh, my team is going to win!" Maybe it's a way of keeping myself from being too heartbroken but it didn't really work. I was VERY DISAPPOINTED by the 49ers loss and I really don't want to hear excuses or blame or anything else. It's done. The Niners and the Chiefs played a good game and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't care so much. It sucks to lose but what a season they had... https://flic.kr/p/2pxoNi5 Leica Sofort 2 and the first shot Leica Sofort 2 - Got my new camera! It arrived on Friday and the film arrived on Saturday. It's super cute! I'm digging it. I experimented with the printing, starting with photos taken by the camera as well as shots taken by my phone. I can only pair the camera with one device so I paired it with my iPhone. Of course, the photos taken by the iPhone printed very nicely. The photos taken by the camera print nicely enough but the digital versions aren't as nice, of course. Still, it's pretty cool! Shots from the Leica Sofort 2: https://flic.kr/p/2pxN2in the first shot I printed from my Leica Sofort 2 https://flic.kr/p/2pxTw63 the view at the ranch https://flic.kr/p/2pxSBAw the view at dusk https://flic.kr/p/2pxSBDT hopeful before the Super Bowl I'm so glad we had Monday off from work. Now four days of work and another three day weekend ahead. Here we go! Read the full article

#LeicaSofort2 #techfreakchick #thomasbeaudoin

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valerie · 3 months

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TWITL - week 5 - when it turns stormy

MONDAY - 29 January Oh, Charles Mesure is set to appear again on General Hospital! I wonder if he'll stick around a bit longer than the last time. It felt like his storyline was a bit hurried. It'll be nice to see him again on that show, even if I don't watch it. ;) HR just send the COVID-19 letter to everyone at the office. This is the second letter in as many weeks. I'm so glad I keep my window open and that we are very spaced out here in our building. I posted about it to Bluesky and some jackass replied with nonsense, ending with "fear is the mind killer." WTF. What is wrong with people? I blocked the account because I just don't want that kind of nonsense in my feed. I just do not understand why people go out of their way to be @$$holes. I won't even go into the fact that vaccines are good and guard people against all things, including DEATH. TUESDAY - 30 January Do you know there are adults out there who don't know how to properly address an envelope? One of my friends just told our chat a little ditty about someone in the office who put the recipient's address in the return address space. I don't see such things in my line of work-- education--. I can't remember when I learned how to properly address an envelope but even if I wasn't explicitly taught, there's the fact that we all get mail and it's always formatted the same way. How does one go through life and get a job and NOT know how to format the envelope to mail out?! THURSDAY - 1 February Here we are at the first of February. My busy time of the year begins today with open enrollment for intra-district transfer requests. This is the time of year where I must draw constantly on my well of patience and remember that even though I might be saying something for the umpteenth time that day, the person hearing it will have only heard it once. Wish me luck! https://flic.kr/p/2pvKddk Charles Mesure on General Hospital Charles looks like he's having such fun playing John Brennan on General Hospital. He's charming and snarky with that devilish twinkle in his eyes when he smiles. The expression easily turns when he's serious and what a delight it is to watch. I skipped to his scenes to do some screenshots but I watched his scenes too because how could I not? https://flic.kr/p/2pvQyH4 OMG, we're going to see the All Blacks!!! One of the things you must know about me is that I'm a rugby fan. I'm specifically a fan of the New Zealand All Blacks. Super Rugby is one of my favorite things to watch and I shook my fist at the heavens when ESPN+ stopped carrying the games. When I watch the Rugby World Cup, I cheer for the All Blacks. When I watch the Rugby Championship, I cheer for the All Blacks. When I watch Super Rugby, I cheer for the Crusaders first, then any of the other NZ teams when they're playing teams from the other countries. I get chills when I watch the All Blacks do the haka. So when R said, "Guess where we're gonna be July 19th," I should have had a clue. I had just read yesterday about the All Blacks coming out the US. When I looked at the email he forwarded, I had to keep from giving a big WOOHOO because I was at work. :D WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE ALL BLACKS, LIVE, IN PERSON!!! I am so excited!!! Which All Blacks jersey do I wear? It's almost a bummer this match is in the summer because I don't get to bust out my jacket, scarf, and beanie. I'll probably end up wearing my most recent AB jersey, the one for the RWC 2023. We're all booked with tickets, flight, and hotel. It's happening. I AM SO EXCITED!!! I'm listening to the Absolute OPM playlist on Apple Music and it kinda kills me when I like a song enough to want to add it to my personal collection by buying it but oh, sorry, not available in the US store. Darn it! I want to support these Filipino artists with my American money but alas, nope. I suppose streaming the songs is supposed to be enough? I really don't know why I keep gravitating towards the Filipino pop. Maybe I just miss listening to pop music and the modern OPM is altogether new and comforting... SATURDAY - 3 February https://flic.kr/p/2pw9vLr I saw Argylle! Argylle - I arrived at the movie theatre and the doors weren't open yet. Love going to the first showings. I skipped the concessions stand once inside and headed to my seat in the Dolby Cinema auditorium. I had the whole row to myself until about twenty minutes into the movie when someone sat two seats away from me. Really?! Come on! Otherwise good times! What can I say about the movie itself without spoiling much? First off, I knew better than to expect certain things from the little clues in the trailers and I was rewarded for this mindset. Second, I cannot recall one scene where the lighting was so dark that I couldn't see anything. MIRACLES! Third, the movie was fun and funny and adventuresome and twisty. I think I must count Matthew Vaughn as one of my favorite directors since I seem to enjoy most of his movies. (Stardust will always be my favorite of his.) I definitely recommend Argylle. The over two hours go by in fun fashion. Bryce Dallas Howard was winsome, Sam Rockwell was as amazing as always. Bryan Cranston and Catherine O'Hara played their roles perfectly. And Henry Cavill was freakin' adorable. SUNDAY - 4 February It's been raining and gusting out there today. Good thing we stayed in. Hoping it calms down out there and doesn't cause too much chaos. I've already seen a picture of one of the trees at the library fallen over. Ye gods! https://flic.kr/p/2pwgYwe BOOKS Hate Notes - I'm actually listening to the audiobook. It must have been free because it's the first romance novel I've gotten as an audiobook. I should have listened to the narration before clicking "buy," free or not, because the female narrator is annoying the hell out of me. The story is all right so far and the male narrator isn't so bad but it really takes me out of it whenever the female narrator is up, especially when she reads dialogue for the male characters. She lowers her voice but it sounds like a damn joke and it's really pushing up against my patience. I just want to finish the thing because I want to know what happens to the characters. Open Book: A Memoir - Jessica Simpson - I'm reading this one on a recommendation. I'm reading it on my lunch breaks so it's been slow going. It's been very interesting so far. I wonder if I would have enjoyed this one more as an audiobook. I'm almost halfway through. She's still married to Nick Lachey. Maybe I should try and finish it this week. https://flic.kr/p/2pwe5jt We have a full week of work then two four day work weeks. Or, as I like to think of them, two three day weekends. And it works out that we have the day after the Super Bowl off. Sweet! Will we be happy or sad in a week? We shall see. Here's to a good week, one and all! Keep warm, stay safe, find that bit of beauty at least once a day. :D Read the full article

#books #charlesmesure #HenryCavill #movies

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valerie · 3 months

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TWITL - week 4 - reminiscing moods

MONDAY - 22 January We start with a dream. I dreamt that I was in a mall or event center and tech reviewers I follow were there. I spotted two and tried to wrangle picture with just the two of them but somehow it turned into a group thing and I wasn't even standing next to both of them. The picture was taken and I tried again to take a picture with just the two but it never happened. Darn it! I often dream about being in some kind of mall or event center or festivity that's huge in scope and travels in some kind of circle. I bet there's a reason for that but I haven't quite figured it out yet and I haven't looked it up. What does it mean to dream of being in a place where you're basically walking in a huge circle trying to find someone or something you want or need? https://flic.kr/p/2ptZUPu Thomas Beaudoin in Top Dogs... Yes, I did more screenshots of Top Dog because Thomas Beaudoin. I'm almost done with the show and maybe I'll go back and actually watch it even though I definitely do not understand 99% of the words coming out of their mouths. I don't mind though. Part of the learning of things. WEDNESDAY - 24 January Today started off dark and dreary. Now it's just gray and dreary. I don't mind very much. I like the cooler weather. The rain is fine by me as long as I'm not in it-- driving or otherwise. Besides, we need the rain! Twenty-five years ago I got to take a picture with Dean O'Gorman, Ryan Gosling, and Joel Tobeck. I figure it warranted its own post so if you want to read it, click on that link at the beginning of this paragraph. When I saw that the group shot is one of my most favorite photos with me in it, I am not exaggerating. I love that photo and I'm so glad to show it off and tell its story every chance I get. And today is that day, hence its own entry. And since I can't resist, here's the photo again:

Dean, me, Ryan, Joel Happy Birthday to William Gregory Lee! I wish I had Greg's number so I could randomly text him with my bday wishes. If we ever reconnect, I'm asking for his number. We're supposed to be friends, after all. We met over two decades ago! (Seriously, how has it been that long?!) THURSDAY - 25 January I finished listening to John Scalzi's Starter Villain last night. I loved it! I found it utterly delightful and I laughed out loud so many times. I think this might be my first listening to Wil Wheaton narrate a fictional book (I have one of his own books on audio) and he does a fantastic job. I've enjoyed all the Scalzi books I've read/listened to so far and this one was a good one. I'd definitely recommend it. It's fun! As I was finishing Starter Villain, my Libby alerted me that my next book was ready to check out -- Rick Riordan's The Chalice of the Gods. Of course, I went right into reading that after I finished Starter Villain ended. It feels like ages since I read a proper Percy Jackson book and having the show on the air reminded me how much I enjoy that world. I laughed at how startled I was that Percy is still in high school at the beginning of the book. I feel like he should already be in college but time is different when it comes to books. Can't wait to see what the gods have in store for Percy in this one... Top Dogs - Fine, I only "watched" this show because of Thomas Beaudoin. I couldn't understand a word of it (it's French Canadian) but I got the gist of some of the broader things happening. Maybe I'll go back and watch it with more attention instead of just skimming to Thomas' scenes. His character goes through some things through the three seasons. The episodes are short and easy to watch. I had to turn on my VPN and pretend I was in Montreal or Toronto to watch online. So there's that. Percy Jackson and the Olympians - I am very much enjoying this show. This week we got to see the Underworld and this iteration of Hades. I have a soft spot for Hades and the Underworld that stems from the Herc/Xena days so it was interesting to see this show's version of both the place and the character. I liked it!... As for the show, it's been ages since I've read the first Percy Jackson books but this show definitely feels like the books did, hence my enjoyment. I'm a bit of a sucker for weaving mythological stuff with the real world. The whimsy of it is such fun. FRIDAY - 26 January Here we are at the end of the week! It's a bit before 0700 hrs and yes, I'm already online. And I might not write again until later today so here's a shot from yesterday: https://flic.kr/p/2puBbDF me at work SUNDAY - 28 January https://flic.kr/p/2puREJc corn in a "cup" We went to the Farmers Market yesterday! First visit of 2024. The weather was lovely and dry and chilly enough for long sleeves and the vest jacket. Love going out in my vest jacket because of all the pockets, which means me not needing to bring a purse. Yes to pockets! https://flic.kr/p/2puQRZy vest jacket and hat for farmers market We did a little day drinking as well while out Saturday afternoon. I had a cider, a mimosa, and a cider. I also had my requisite corn in a cup and then nachos at our second stop. Love these kinds of Saturdays... The Niners are down at halftime. Not good times at all. WRITING "No For Now" (working title, which I don't really like but it'll do for now) - I think I FINALLY have the character names but they still haven't settled in my head yet. The next block was their occupations and for some reason, I went with a job that I had used for a previous character, which led to me re-reading that particular story. My records show that I wrote the story in 2008 and some of the details show. I mention Blackberries and digital cameras and iPods. It's wild. The story isn't so bad. I was in my CSI stage for that one. This current story started with a scene (as most of my stories do) and now I'm trying to work around the details of that scene. I'd like to write it and be done and not save it for November. We'll see how it goes... https://flic.kr/p/2puEM6v My busy time at work begins later this week. Oh boy, here we go... Read the full article

#books #thomasbeaudoin #tv #writing

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valerie · 3 months

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Twenty-Five Years Ago in Santa Monica

Twenty-five years ago I was in Santa Monica for a Hercules/Xena convention. The cast from Young Hercules was there. Ryan Gosling, Dean O'Gorman, and Chris Conrad were on stage on January 23rd and I was in line to ask a question for them but alas, it never happened. Chris did come off the stage to give a little girl in front of me a hug and we ended up shaking hands when he said hi to some of us in the line. Later, I met all the guys during the autograph line. I was weirdly silly and asked about Erik Thomson. I took pictures of each of them. You can see them at my report from that weekend here.

the very lovely Chris Conrad The next day, January 24th, Ryan and Dean were set to sign more autographs in the lobby of the venue, joined by Joel Tobeck. Chris wasn't available for a reason I can't remember. It was a bummer too because I had the other three sign the Young Hercules poster I had. I would end up getting everyone's signature on that poster, which I still have, except for Chris'. The missing autograph haunted me for decades. Then Chris sent me that vest jacket so my melancholy about not getting his signature has been eased a bit. After getting those signatures, my friends and I went back to our rooms to put away our posters and photos, then headed back to the venue. When we saw that the boys were taking pictures with the fans, we went back into that line. (Seriously, go read my report. It's embarrassingly detailed.) When it was my turn for a picture, we did the group shot and then Ryan and I took a picture together.

Dean O'Gorman, Me, Ryan Gosling, Joel Tobeck - Santa Monica 1999 Back in those days, we had to actually WAIT to see our pictures because it was film. I'm not sure how long I had to wait for my pictures. I imagine that I had them developed right away and I was most likely VERY relieved to see that the picture of me with the boys was the most amazing shot ever. Look at my happy face. It's ridiculous how happy I look. It is my favorite shot EVER of me with people who are neither family nor friends. I love the picture so much that I used it later that year as my "now" picture for my 10 year high school reunion memory book. People at my reunion asked me if Ryan was my boyfriend because of that picture. It was probably the first time they ever saw Ryan Gosling's face and it was next to me. I wonder if anyone remembers that. Damn, it's weird to think of that way. It would take years before people recognized the talent and appeal of Ryan Gosling but some of my friends remember that I was the one raving about him for years before they realized who he was.

Ryan Gosling Twenty five years later, this group shot is still one of my favorites. It was a favorite before Ryan became Oscar nominated Ryan Gosling. It was a favorite before Dean O'Gorman would play Fili in The Hobbit trilogy. It was a favorite while Joel Tobeck was wreaking havoc as Strife on Young Hercules. It's one of my favorite shots because it was the capper to one of my favorite convention going weekends. I had so much fun with my friends and meeting the guests was just icing on the cake. It was the convention weekend that made me appreciate spending time with my friends as well as enjoying the guests. Some other things of note: - I posted this photo to Twitter years ago and it was my most popular post. It got the attention of Joel Tobeck and he ended up tweeting a picture of him with Sullivan Stapleton to me because I was in my Sully stage at that point. The internet can be such a fun place. - It's also super interesting that I met Ryan on William Gregory Lee's birthday and that a year later, on Ryan's twentieth birthday, I would meet William Gregory Lee at a Xena convention in Palo Alto. It would take me years to make that connection. - Chris sent me the Hercules/Xena crew vest jacket sometime after I mentioned not having his autograph on my Young Hercules poster. Another example of when Twitter was amazing by connecting you to your favorites. I do have Chris' autograph on a Young Hercules still that my friend gave me years ago. I think it's in storage. Should I find it someday, I'll probably scan and post it somewhere. I would still like to someday get Chris to autograph my poster but not sure how that will ever happen. Then again, who knew I'd get a crew vest jacket? It's always fun to dust off the group shot and remember that weekend. It's super wild to me that this was twenty-five years ago. Time flies...

with Ryan Gosling Read the full article

#deano'gorman #joeltobeck #ryan #ryangosling

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valerie · 3 months

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TWITL - week 3 - gray days with some rain

MONDAY - 15 January https://flic.kr/p/2psGyKV Miguel Ángel Silvestre en la primera temporada de Los Enviados I finished doing screenshots of MAS in Los Enviados, season 1. Yah! Now I can start season 2 screenshots. Sometimes I wonder why I still do such things. Am I just passing the time? I'm really not going to do anything with ALL the screenshots. I'll pick the best one and edit/filter it then post to IG at some point. I don't share the gallery. Maybe I should... TUESDAY - 16 January Back to work today! Joy? https://flic.kr/p/2oPFSat Miguel Ángel Silvestre en la primera temporado de 30 Monedas 30 Monedas/30 Coins - We finished season two last night! What can I say about the second season? I don't even know quite yet. I hope it gets a third season because I have so many questions!... I will say that Paco was a bit better in this season than last. I think the theme of his life is that his women will not ever really appreciate him and always yell at him. :P I'm being silly but it just seemed like Elena was always yelling at him and Merche was just evil. I couldn't really relate to them at all. Am I supposed to be sympathetic towards Merche? I'm not. Elena almost gets a pass because she has been through some crazy things. Yowsa! WEDNESDAY - 17 January https://flic.kr/p/2psSmJX I do so love when Sully likes comments on his IG posts... It always tickles me when Sullivan Stapleton likes the comments on his IG posts. And as I comment on his IG posts, that means he sees my words. I appreciate that he takes the time to read and like the comments posted on his IG. I find it rather sweet. THURSDAY - 18 January https://flic.kr/p/2pt8tuC William Gregory Lee in the CSI: NY episode "Past Imperfect" So I'm still on a nostalgia wave. HTLJ/XWP on Amazon Prime. My friend Beth asking if she can use my Temple of Ares character in a new story she's thinking of writing. Doing those screenshots of Erik. The 25th anniversary of my most favorite photo taken on Greg's 26th birthday coming up. (WTH, Greg turned 26 that day I was in Santa Monica?! I FEEL SO OLD!) My friend Paula grabbing that creative string to tell a tale from our Temple of Ares days. All of these things are just making me look back with fondness and amusement and gratitude. FRIDAY - 19 January The Wayback Machine at archive.org has been a way for me to look back on those days in the late 90s/early 00s. I found the Temple of Ares and my particular stories archived, which is a great thing since I don't have those stories saved anyway. One day soon I need to do the whole copy and paste thing. Just to have for myself. SATURDAY - 20 January Sweet goodness, the San Francisco 49ers won against the Green Bay Packers tonight. Whew! The hubby got to go to the game. I got to stay home. It was raining out there and I'm mostly glad that I wasn't out at the stadium getting soaked. I'm just not made for that kind of spectating. https://flic.kr/p/2ptCdht me at home; a view from the field; facetime screenshot Oh, I posted the screenshot of the short FaceTime with the hubby and I got a few likes and one comment. The one comment was a "block" gif, as in my post somehow offended the commenter and they would be blocking me. I checked out his profile (because of course it was a man) and apparently his timeline (probably the "for you" one) was showing him a bunch of Niners posts because he had been arguing with Niners fans. My post somehow offended him and he took the time to post a comment with a block gif because why? Perhaps he wanted to argue. I do not argue with assholes. No, I block and then take to my blog to talk shit about them. Here's some advice to those kind of people-- you don't like something, scroll on by. I don't give a flying fuck if you want to block me (and he didn't because I was able to see him). Block me. But if you think that you're going to argue with me on my profile, it's not going to happen. Also, do other football fans not like Niners fans? I am obviously biased but I didn't think we were the kind of fans who annoyed other fans. I consider myself to be a nice person and a reasonable fan. I don't like to talk shit about other teams or their fanbase. Or if I do talk shit, I keep to a tight circle of friends who don't take that kind of stuff personally. Actually, I never talk shit to someone about their team. I don't like spreading negative energy. No, I'll just secretly cheer for their team to lose. I'll admit that much. https://flic.kr/p/2ptCns1 Thomas Beaudoin as L'Expert in Top Dogs While I had the game on, I distracted myself by turning on my VPN so I could watch a Canadian show called Top Dogs. I mostly just skipped to Thomas Beaudoin's scenes to do screenshots. It's all in French so I don't know what they're saying but I get the gist of some of it. Thomas' character seems a little, hmm, awkward? I cannot stop thinking of him as a Clark Kent type and his character in this show is really feeding into the notion. The episodes are short, under fifteen minutes, which made doing screenshots easy enough. I'm already finished with season one. https://flic.kr/p/2ptAsZE One more of Thomas in Top Dogs... I had another dream about Nana's house. I'm not sure what the situation was but we were in it, marveling at how much bigger it was inside than it looked on the outside. For some reason, when I dream about houses, the bedrooms are so much bigger, with such ridiculous proportions. I'm not sure what that's saying about my psyche or subconscious but so it goes. In this dream, the bedroom had two beds in it and the front part had living room furniture so it felt more like a loft or something but it was a bedroom. I think I dreamt of her house because I was wondering the other day what was going on with it. Is someone living there now? Has it been sold? What happened to all of her stuff? Were her things dispersed as payment for taking of her? Did anyone in the family get anything? Are we just supposed to be happy that her funeral was taken care of? SUNDAY - 21 January https://flic.kr/p/2ptLdNa And another one of Thomas Beaudoin in Top Dogs I'm on the second season of Top Dogs. What's going on with Thomas' character? Is he a bad guy now? I'm sure I'd be less confused if I actually spoke some French, eh? https://flic.kr/p/2ptaULE taken on the second floor of the library I've been using Hipstamatic more and since the turn to 2024, I've been posting Hipstamatic shots as my photo of the day for Project 365 (@vasiakiari at IG). This week or so, I discovered the double exposure feature. I'm still learning but a couple of the shots have turned out rather interesting. I'm going to keep practicing. It's fun! https://flic.kr/p/2ptddqn another one from the library I'm having fun on Duolingo but I wonder if I'm learning as fast as I should. I make sure I do a few lessons everyday of Spanish and French. I think having had Spanish in high school helps me a little to do well with the Spanish lessons so I feel like the real challenge is French. I feel like if I really want to stretch myself, I need to watch or listen to more things in Spanish and French. One day, I'd like to know enough to really understand then venture out to learning Italian too. Learning is fun and frustrating! https://flic.kr/p/2psvro9 My busy month is nearly upon me. I have some stuff due for a state report at the end of the month then my transfers begin for the month of February. The questions have already started and I have to remember to be grateful the questions are coming BEFORE open enrollment beings as opposed to AFTER the requests are due. I also have to remember to not be frustrated by the people who don't want to accept the process and the reasoning for why they're not going to get what they want. (You would not believe the entitlement some people have. Or maybe you would believe it.) Everyone should watch Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It's such a great show! Makes me want to read the books again, which I will probably do after I finish Jessica Simpson's book or after our next book club book... Still need to watch Echo. Is it good?... Hope everyone has a great week! Read the full article

#greglee #MAS #miguelangelsilvestre #sullivanstapleton #sully #thomasbeaudoin #tv #williamgregorylee

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valerie · 3 months

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TWITL - week 2 - felt a bit dragged

TUESDAY - 9 January I'm thinking maybe I need a new format for my blog. Maybe not post daily but perhaps write something randomly and do a wrap up at the end of the week. If I write during the week, then I might not have as much to do at the end of the week besides some short musings or the like. Let's try it this week. I did screenshots before bed last night of a Canadian show called STAT because Thomas Beaudoin, my new Muse apparently, made an appearance and of course I just had to have a gander. I was just going to skim to his scenes, do the screenshots, then go along my merry way. When I saw French subtitles, I frowned a little because the words were getting in the way of the screenshots. At this point, I popped on my AirPods and turned up the audio to find that Docteur Davis, his character, was speaking French AND English, which meant the French subtitles were for the folks who don't understand English. Neat! https://flic.kr/p/2prqhE3 I must say, the fact that he can go from English to French so smoothly was just lovely to hear. I was quite happy to watch his scenes even if I had no idea what was going. Actually, I figured out the gist of it from the English bits but the whole thing was still chaos to me because I think the show is a bit on the soap opera side and the episode seemed to start in the middle of the action. Anyhoo, he looked rather nice all scruffy while wearing military BDUs. Way to hit my fangirl buttons, whew! https://flic.kr/p/2prqU3K Adan Canto died yesterday. I remember him best on his turn in the show The Following and I will always remember thinking how much he reminded me of "my" Kevin Smith ("Ares" on Xena and Hercules). I didn't follow his career very closely but I saw his work over the years and figured he'd appear in something I was watching sooner or later. Alas, it will not be. Journey well into the next, Adan... Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Tonight's episode was another good one! It was lovely seeing Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus and I will always have a soft spot for the character of Ares because of the aforementioned Kevin Smith. Adam Copeland's turn as the god of war was a joy to watch. I am very seriously enjoying this show. WEDNESDAY - 10 January https://flic.kr/p/2prG6Vx We had a bit of rain today. Nothing too serious. Since I've upgraded my webhost, I feel like I need to update this website. Maybe I should revive Moonlit Jazz, which has been languishing in its current state for... over 8 years. Eight years?! In its last iteration, it was the place where I dropped my daily photos for Project 365. I now do Project 365 at my secondary Instagram (@vasiakiari). Now it just sits as it has since 2015. Back to this place though, kiari.com. I'm using a different theme but I think it's a work in progress at this point. Maybe I'll keep hunting around for more inspirational themes. We'll see if I settle on anything for more than a day. THURSDAY - 11 January Oh, Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is streaming on Amazon Prime! I already own XWP on iTunes (and DVD!) but I never did pony up the money for HTLJ. Now when I'm feeling nostalgic, I can head to Amazon Prime to watch either of those two shows. Oh, and do screenshots. For some reason, I felt like doing screenshots of Hades, as played by Erik Thomson. I marvel how back in the late 90s, it took FOREVER to do screenshots. Now it's just minutes, depending on how many scenes my subject is in. It's wild! https://flic.kr/p/2prYUcR from the Xena: Warrior Princess episode, "Adventures in the Sin Trade" I should do a re-watch of both HTLJ and XWP. I'll have to compartmentalize myself a bit and forget about how the one playing Hercules didn't turn out so well and just enjoy the episodes. XWP will be easier to re-watch because it was always the stronger show to me, in terms of characters and plots, though Michael Hurst (Iolaus) did make me cry in an episode of HTLJ. Just doing these screenshots brushed aside the veil of time to remind me of how it felt when the shows first aired. https://flic.kr/p/2prZ7tV from the Hercules: The Legendary Journey episode, "The Other Side" Honestly, soon after I started watching the shows, I found that I gravitated towards the guest stars, especially Erik Thomson and the late Kevin Smith, who played Ares. They were the reason I watched. They were the reason I started chatting online with like minded fans. They were the reason I started my website. They are part of the me that is Kiari. I made lifelong friends because of the show, the conventions, the mutual love for the guest stars. And I will ever be grateful... FRIDAY - 12 January It's finally the weekend! Yes, it's Friday evening and I have three whole days without work. Good times! Don't have any real plans. Maybe I'll clean. Maybe I'll do some laundry. Maybe I'll take lots of naps. We shall see! https://flic.kr/p/2ps4UmV wearing my favorite vest jacket Since I was feeling nostalgic after doing those screenshots, I pulled out my Hercules/Xena crew vest jacket. I always LOVE wearing this vest jacket, as I'm sure I've said plenty of times here. I love all the pockets. I love all the details. I love that it crossed space and time to become mine. And I love that Chris Conrad sent it to me. I still marvel at that last point. So very sweet of him. It makes me smile to wear it. SUNDAY - 14 January https://flic.kr/p/2pmyEv2 Luis Gerardo Méndez y Miguel Ángel Silvestre en la primera temporada de Los Enviados Los Enviados/The Envoys - We binge watched the second season today. I liked it! I might have liked it better than the first season. The nun had a bigger part and she was a delight. The ending felt a little as if they'd be back in the little town. The Brotherhood seemed to be unfinished business. I'd love another season of the two priests and the nun... 30 Monedas/30 Coins - We started another Miguel Ángel Silvestre show. Second season again. The first few episodes were a bit heavy on the monster-like imagery. Effectively creepy, especially if you're religious in the Catholic way. It's an adjustment going from Simón Antequera (Los Enviados) to Paco (30 Monedas). Despite being played by Miguel Ángel Silvestre, the two characters are so very different... https://flic.kr/p/2oSKgLE Miguel Ángel Silvestre en la primera temporado de 30 Monedas And that's week number two of 2024 in the books! Time for bed... Read the full article

#erikthomson #MAS #miguelangelsilvestre #thomasbeaudoin #tv

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valerie · 4 months

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TWITL - week 1 - Happy 2024

I had some webhosting drama and didn't get to post this weekend so I'm starting this on Sunday night but I have to go to bed soon so I'm not even sure why I'm starting this post now. I'm hoping to get it uploaded sometime Monday but we shall see! My webhost drama started the other day when I tried accessing my site and I kept getting the 509 error message. Somehow I'd reached my bandwidth limit. How?! My website is hardly high traffic and yet I somehow hit the limit via http. Perhaps it has to do with the all the failed logins I found once I was able to get back into my site? Whatever it was, I realized it was time to upgrade my site. My previous plan no longer existed and I was fast approaching some of the limits so I went with a plan that costs much more but I didn't feel like looking for another webhost, especially since I've been with the same one for NINETEEN years and they've been pretty solid this whole time. Also, I've been kiari.com for how long?! https://flic.kr/p/2pr8ej2 remnants of an Old Fashioned Working three days the second week of break is really the best way to ease into work life after the holidays. It didn't even really feel like "work" because I had very few interruptions and I was able to just get on with what I needed to do. Work never stops, of course, so I'm sure there will be stuff on my desk when I go in today. MOVIES/TV Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - I am seriously enjoying this show. I do get annoyed with some of the characters and they almost take me out of the story but the ones who make sense to me keep me intrigued. Some of plot points seemed obvious but it was nice to say, "Ha, I knew it!" at a couple of reveals. Can't wait to see how the season ends and if it's meant to be more than just one or if it's one of those "event" type series. Barbie - I know, what took me so long to watch this movie? Well, finally pressed play and watched. It was good! Very well done and I get all the hype about it. Ryan Gosling will always be my favorite and I thought he did a great job on this movie, even if I found his Ken a little cringey at times. There are so many layers to the movie and it's not all light hearted and superficial. I think you can get as much out of it as you like... Percy Jackson and the Olympians - I have read all the Percy Jackson books so I was very excited when this show was announced.. The season so far has lived up to my expectations, from the casting of the characters to the action and plot. I look forward to each episode's drop and I know I'll be more than a little sad when it's over. I hope it's getting more than the first season. Go watch! https://flic.kr/p/2pqqLxn Random musings... - I lost an earring a couple of weeks ago at work, which made me sad because I'd had the earring for years, probably decades. I resigned myself to its loss, lamenting a little before moving on. This morning at work, we were taking down the holiday decorations and one of my last moves was moving the fake tree back to its place. I looked down and lo, there was earring! Aside from the realization that our office hadn't been vacuumed in awhile (at least two weeks or more), I was so happy to have my earring back! It's the little things sometimes... - I've been using the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone and using those pictures as my picture of the day so far in 2024. Not sure how long this will go on but I do like the way Hipstamatic surprises me with its filters. - I do hope that I write every week on my blog. We'll see how it goes! https://flic.kr/p/2pqmsWS Sometimes I wish I treated this blog more as a diary than I do. I have words swirling in my head, opinions and observations that I wouldn't mind sharing but I don't. I keep them in a private document but sometimes, I want to set those thoughts out into the world. I'm not clever enough to keep them vague though so I leave them in a place where only can read them. Ah well... Read the full article

#movies #ryangosling #tv

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valerie · 4 months

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TMITL - the rest of December 2023

So it's 2024 now. Happy New Year! I have to go to work tomorrow, so must write and post this today. Here we go with the rest of December 2023 recap. https://flic.kr/p/2pmNNJa on the way to Reno In the middle of the month, we headed to Reno for another company party, Nevada style. We stayed at the El Dorado. The weather was chilly and crisp but clear and I was able to wear my longer coat. Nice! The party was fun-- the food was delicious, the company lovely, and the axe throwing entertaining. (I did not throw any axes.) https://flic.kr/p/2pmQYpP https://flic.kr/p/2pmRCR9 https://flic.kr/p/2pmRyip https://flic.kr/p/2pmTrgX https://flic.kr/p/2pmWjCy We only stayed in Reno for one night because my sister and her family came to visit! So we headed back home then visited San Leandro both days of the weekend. It was great spending time with everyone. Casual hanging out with family was just wonderful. We brought lumpia on Sunday and my dad cooked pancit. So good! https://flic.kr/p/2pndYyr https://flic.kr/p/2pn8ioX https://flic.kr/p/2pnd3ok https://flic.kr/p/2pmWsXd https://flic.kr/p/2pndZ3H https://flic.kr/p/2pncxUb https://flic.kr/p/2pnfgHX https://flic.kr/p/2pne9yN https://flic.kr/p/2pneHN4 https://flic.kr/p/2pnfgTG https://flic.kr/p/2ppqEqx I was so happy to see my sister and her family. Spending time in our childhood home with our parents and cousins was such a treat. These moments are much too few and far between but when they happen, they are special. I'm glad they came out to visit and I'm glad we were able to spend as much time as we did with them. https://flic.kr/p/2po7ueb The last week of work seems like so long ago now. It was finals week so school ended early, which meant it was quiet across the street by afternoon. Good times! My position was officially reclassified with the board meeting on December 13th! So very cool! I'm sure I'll be more impressed with my next paycheck. My work duties have expanded over the years and I'm glad that I finally got the nerve to submit for the the reclassification AND it was accepted. In years past, we used to have our quarterly luncheon on the last day of the semester but that hasn't happened properly since lockdown. Our building went to The Lounge for happy hour and it was a lovely way to end the semester. I feel fortunate to work with such a lovely group of people. https://flic.kr/p/2po89Kz https://flic.kr/p/2poD3HC I've been taking the days between Christmas and New Year's off and it's always THE BEST THING. It's the most restful time and the biggest stress I experience in that time period is cleaning the house for our annual inspection. Of course, I waited until the day before inspection to clean up and it was then I discovered that our vacuum wasn't working right. Alas! We ended up getting a new vacuum, which works quite well. https://flic.kr/p/2pp6xvM We watched the Niners game on Christmas Day at our favorite local. There was a fair amount of people there by the time the game started. It was a nice way to spend the game even if it didn't end the way we wanted. (They did better this past weekend, so whew!) https://flic.kr/p/2ppfJQp Most of my days off were super lowkey and wonderfully relaxing, especially with a clean house. It was easy to forget what day of the week it was and that's really one of my favorite things about being off and being at home. It's like practicing for retirement. ;) https://flic.kr/p/2ppTVps New Year's Eve (last night) was spent nearby at our friends' house. It was a casual time hanging out with a good group of people. There were kids abound so it no thankfully no crazy drunk people falling all over themselves. I'm too old for that kind of vibe. :P It was the best way to spend the last hours of 2023. We ended up heading home before midnight, which was fine. https://flic.kr/p/2ppSLTL I don't really have any resolutions for 2024 but how about some thoughts in bullet form: - Learning through Duolingo - I've been doing my Spanish lessons with Duolingo. I think I should commit to spending more time with each lesson. It's too easy to just do one bit and then go on with my day. Since I'm paying for it, I should really use it, eh? I started with French, which has been interesting. My goal, at some point, is to be able to watch shows in other languages and understand a bit more than I do now. I can understand some Spanish but definitely not the French. - Reading/listening more books - We have a book club at work and for our second book, I did the audiobook version. (Matthew Perry's Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing) I need to read more and audiobooks are a viable choice for me, especially when I'm taking my walks during lunch. I can also listen to books while I'm playing my mobile games. - Writing - I'd like to write more novels/novellas besides National Novel Writing Month. Is it a good thing to have started a new story right after I finished the November novel? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps one day someone will read my works but for now, they're just for me. I also want to write more for my weekly posts. Do I need to make notes during the week? Do I need to start the post ahead of time? Should I make them simple sometimes with bullet points like this? - IRELAND - Our trip to Ireland is coming up! I need to start doing some research on what to do while we're there besides drinking Guinness at different pubs. I'm excited to see how much of dream Ireland matches with real Ireland. - Concerts - We have ONE concert for 2024 and it's not for Tyler Rich, so we definitely need to see him this year. We didn't see him at all in 2023, which is rather astounding. Our one concert so far this year is Jordan Davis (well, Luke Combs but I'm going for Jordan) at Levi's Stadium. I've never spent so much for concert tickets like I did for this concert. It better be a good one! - Social Media - I think Instagram and Threads are my go-to social media networks at the moment. I've been posting a bit more to Facebook as a result of posting more personal entries to IG. I still haven't figured out how I want to use Spoutible but they have been doing such a great job growing the platform. I think it's a dark horse in the social media landscape and I'm glad to be part of its beginning. https://flic.kr/p/2ppew9J On balance, 2023 was a good year. There were some highs and some lows but my mind seems to linger more on the good days than the bad. Even the sad moments like Nana's passing were balanced by the gathering of the family to remember her. I'm not one to write off a whole year like some people are wont to do. There are always good days and bad days and it's up to you on how you respond. I prefer to focus on the good times and the lessons learned from the bad times. Here's to a good start to 2024! Find your joy, my lovelies! Read the full article

#family #friends #luhsd

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