anyresemblance

A trying day

It’s late and it’s been a day of biting my tongue. I made a mediocre  macaroni cheese for dinner but some excellent baked peaches and from scratch custard.

The only upside is I kept thinking it was Wednesday so I’m delighted to realise it’s Thursday.

Too late, too little

I
was at the office all day and it was busy. I managed to get mansplained by 3 people (ie, men) in a meeting. I called it out but they don’t really listen.  

There was a terrific thunderstorm this afternoon which has done nothing to dispel the heat. 

I am rewatching Happy Valley in anticipation of season 3 but I’m finding it so sad so interspersing with cooking shows. They made iles flottante in the custard episode of Bake Off which are my favourite so I might have a go at those.

A glitch

Not sure what was going on with typepad but could not log in yesterday.  I keep reminding myself it is a platform at the end of life and I really need to do something with my archives before it collapses in a heap.

Yesterday was a work day and I can't recall a single thing that happened.  I went to the office, it was deserted, I came home at lunchtime, I worked at my desk and then I went to the dr which was maddeningly inconclusive.  She upped my medication which is tedious but I have to check in later this week to see if it makes a difference.  I made dinner - Bon Appetit's sweet and spicy pork noodles which were delicious and  I watched an episode of Great British Bakeoff which is not the bin fire the reviews led me to assume it was.

This morning, I happened to meet a friend while I was walking Charlie and we arranged a catch up in a couple of weeks, I made an arrangement with another friend to go and see Ottolenghi in conversation on Saturday night (could I be any more middle class?) and I checked in another friend who had surgery.  Office was slightly less deserted and my boss is coming to town tomorrow which probably means a lot of people will show up being shiny and ready for the year ahead.

I had a very frustrating call with the cardiologist's rooms who gave every assistance short of any actual help and three calls to my own GP's receptionist (who was surprisingly helpful) about getting the referral sent.  None of which means the cardiologist agrees to see me given he does not get back from holiday until Thursday.

 

Sunday stocktake: cinema edition

1. Watching:   I've not been feeling crash hot today but I did meet my friend at the cinema to see The Fablemans.  I spent the whole movie trying to work out who Michelle Williams was which shows how much attention I had been paying.  I did smile to see how the father's recruitment to IBM was a pivotal arc in the movie.  As usual, if I had known it was 2 and a half hours long I might have resisted but I found the unfolding family tragedy captivating, no wonder Michelle Williams is being touted for an Oscar.
2. Eating: I went to the market after the cinema.  It was strangely deserted, probably because of the heat and the impending storm.  I bought lots of salad stuff as all I want to eat is watermelon and feta and mint like things
3. Wishing: a cool breeze would come through. Another hot day and this afternoon has brought thunderstorms which have failed to lower the temperature.
4. Looking: at my art, having put my large piece by Leila Jeffreys up in my study.
5. Smelling: the branches of eucalyptus I bought at the market. I know I could have gone into the bush and snipped some for free but it smells so fresh and cleansing.
6. Cooking: fried chicken sandwiches with coleslaw.  S and I watch a lot of low demand tv cooking shows and have recently discovered Donal Skehan and this is one of his recipes.
7. Reading: the latest Kate Atkinson (I am sort of procrastinating on the Harold one)
8. Liking: my clean dog who went to the groomers on Friday and smells delightful 
9. Loving: my new Sony headphones which I bought coming back from Perth as my tiny earphones did not cut it for noise cancelling on the way over.  They are so comfy on the ears and make it possible to vacuum and listen to a podcast at the same time.  I rationalised that I can put a proportion forward to my tax and sell my existing Beats on marketplace.
10. Sipping: tea, Pepsi max, water.  I've stopped drinking alcohol while I try and sort out my medical ailments.

 

 

That best seller

Week work finished but I have a lot to do.  Thank goodness next week is another short week with the Australian Day holiday.  

This morning I walked the dog at around 7.45 and the flies were all ready being super annoying.  I took S back to where she left her car last night after doing what young people do on Friday nights and then I went to the supermarket to buy stuff to make chicken tikka masala.  S got a generous Le Creuset voucher for her birthday and was picking up a new shallow dish and wanted us to make curry.  I did ask if she was ready for it to get turmeric stained so early in its incarnation but she said it was for using not admiring.

I had another knee rehab physio this morning where you can guarantee an exercise that has anything Baltic in its name will be torture (today's were Romanian dead lifts).  I honestly sat in the car wondering if I could avoid it but like all exercise, you rarely regret having been accountable.

The rest of the day has been spent in strategically placing fans to keep cool, making tiramisu which I have not done for ages but I am trying to use up ageing things in the pantry (ladyfinger biscuits in this case) and the marinade for the aforementioned tiramisu.  

S bought a copy of THE book yesterday and since I am very fast reader I have been allocated usage first.

Lebanese pizza

My GP had recommended proper compression socks for my still unresolved swelling which were only available at a pharmacy in a suburban strip mall 20 minutes away.  I mean, it is not that far, but psychologically far as it is not in a direction I ever go.  The pharmacist was super helpful and showed me a hack for putting them on (don't try and bunch them up as you just putting all the extra firm bits in one place, instead roll them inside out and just put the toes in first). They were extremely expensive and inconclusive as to if they are helpful but at least I now have something of the proper size for any long haul flying I ever do.

There also turned out to be a lot of arabic groceries in this strip mall and a Lebanese bakery, Al Manoush, I had heard about but never visited.  It was nearly 2pm and I hadn't had lunch so I stepped in to see what they had available in a hurry.  They had these triangle spinach breads kind of like a thin calzone.  It was so good with very sharp lemony spinach and little bit of onion.  I also had a flat meat pastry which was on a super flakey pastry which was folded in half with some mint and salad and delicious pomegranate molasses.  It was the best thing I had eaten in weeks so I will definitely be back.

I finished Emily in Paris last night and am going on a limb to say I found this the most enjoyable season so far with a much broader and sharper look at relationships.  Of course, there is a load of all rubbish in there (Michelin stars anyone) but I will be here for season 4.  I still have to finish Kaleidoscope which I started on the flight to and from Perth.  Unfortunately, the random nature of serving up the episodes means that it doesn't sync properly with the tv so I have to go back to the iPad to finish off an episode.

It was unbearably hot yesterday and unusually for me I had to get up in the night and put the aircon on.

A disappointing dinner

* yes, I have had that rug for a month and it is still unpacked.

Yesterday was my first day back at work and my brain was sludge but I made it.  I worked from home as I had to take the dog to the vet in the middle of the day.  It is just ageing dog stuff but he was so gentle and loveable and my heart gets bigger when I glance round and see him snoozing behind me.  I hope we have a few more years.

I went to my first physio rehab class of the year which was predictably hard including side planks for my non-existent core.  Still not as hard as plunging your feet into ice.

I met my daughter for dinner at a new mid price Japanese-ish restaurant in town.  Service was erratic but I can give them a pass on that as newly opened with very inexperienced staff.  I can't give a pass on the food being mediocre and, for what we got, over priced so I will be returning to my beloved Raku for any future fix.

 

Ice bucket

I bought a bag of ice from the petrol station and emptied into a bucket.  I got my stopwatch app on my phone open and plunged my foot in.  10 seconds felt like an hour.  Even though it was very hot outside, it felt like knives stabbing my foot.  I made it to 30 seconds but had to do 30 seconds on, 30 off for the next 10 minutes.  I am sorry to report it has had nil effect on the swelling in my ankle.

I am back at work, which actually means organising the pens on my desk and throwing away everything that doesn't work, cracking open my new notebook (thanks ganching) and writing the date with my best pen in my neatest handwriting and composing a list.  I was sure to include something easy which I have already done, defying the do the hard task first rhetoric.

The new year announces lots of people moving jobs and some old friends retiring or moving companies.  Is anyone ever less than "thrilled to announce" on LinkedIn? 

All the pets have joined me in the office and are variously lounging rather than doing anything productive.

Last day of the holidays

One of my goals this year is to post more on the Instagram grid instead of just ephemeral stories.  So far, so good.

I've had this bad swelling in my ankle and foot for a couple of weeks which was much worse after coming off the Perth flight and while googling "symptoms of DVT" in the middle of the night decided I should see the dr.  I actually miraculously got an appointment and she did a questionnaire in which I only fulfilled one of the criteria for DVT but sent me off for a blood test to check.  The blood test showed a high risk of a blood clot so I then went for an ultra sound which shows no blood clots.  I felt a bit of an idiot asking the radiographer "what are those red bits?" She paused to see if I was serious and replied "your blood".  Anyway, it is good there are no clots and I am not about to have a pulmonary embolism but then I got a text from the surgery saying to stop taking the medication that stops blood clots (which I just paid $84 for as it is not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme).  More to the point the swelling is still there.  I saw my physio this morning and he recommended plunging my foot into a bucket of ice.  I thought he was going to say 60 seconds but he recommended 15 minutes!  Apparently, this is standard for elite sportspeople with swollen limbs so I might give it a try.  I also back to the GP this morning for any other recommendations which will undoubtedly include losing weight.

I am going back to work tomorrow which sucks but I have also booked the day after the public holiday so will have a long weekend at the end of January as well.  I have a day of household pottering: going to the tip, my storage locker and Bunnings, and hopefully some book reading.  I'm pondering if audio books count towards my reading target and I sort of think they don't but I should track them separately.  

Sunday stocktake

I mean, I think it is Sunday but who knows in this weird holiday period. We got back from Perth on Friday night and I am knocked sideways by the kind of jet lag only 3 hours can do to you. It’s the same when I go to New Zealand. I still have a week’s leave and was toying with going back early but have decided the corporate grind can wait a few more days. So here goes:

1. Resolving to wait a few weeks before committing to 2023 goals but seeing more of family is up there.  We had the best time in Perth.  The great nieces are young adults and delightful, we ate nice things, went to fun places and won the quiz night.  Thank heavens for S’s encyclopaedic knowledge of one Direction, I say.
2. Eating a lot of burrata with tomatoes, with peaches or asparagus. Cherries, raspberries, mangoes and nectarines.  The fruits of summer are here and I love it.
3. Baking focaccia but thinking I want to master sour dough this year. 
4. Drinking water but not enough of it.
5. Reading quite a few things. I’m off to a good start and finally read Jessie Burton’s sequel to the Minaturist which I read on a 38 degree afternoon in Perth.  I loved it and raced through it. I’ve set myself a goal of 75 books again.  I didn’t quite make it last year so am on a quest to do better.
6. Admitting that I am finding Season 3 of Emily in Paris hugely enjoyable.  Since we all now know it is a bunch of what I heard referred to as “ouisploitation”, it’s easier to look past the ridiculous plot and enjoy street scenes of Paris and other beautiful scenery and clothes.
7. Loving my new Loewe sneakers via Vestiaire (which my step son’s wife calls Tinder for handbags) which are insanely comfortable and help me fantasise I would be appropriately dressed for Paris.
8. Learning that a foam roller works miracles on tight muscles.
9. Hoping that the wildly expensive gel I got for my operation scar will reduce its redness:(
10. Putting more photos on the main grid on Instagram to do a better job of connecting instead of drifting through on ephemera.