I wanted to watch the Australian Open this year as I was feeling bereft of sport coverage by our domestic TV channels. Given how they all have premium channels now which means, pay per view. Gone are the days when you got free TV subsidised by ads. Now, you pay and still get ads.
All that to say that this weekend we subscribed to a month of TSN (ESPN) so I could watch the AO and … wouldn’t you know it, I never took into account the time difference between us, here on the east coast of Canada and bloody Melbourne, 17 hours into my future. Upshot is. I either have to get up at a ridiculous early hour or, wait up till the middle of the night to see anything live. If not, I’m at the whim of channel on when they decide to show the reruns from the previous day’s play.
Bugger!
The only silver lining of getting the channel for the month is I have been able to watch the NFL Play Off games. YAY! That alone has been worth the $22 plus taxes.
Jan 06 to Jan 12, 2025
Mondays are one of those weird days that everyone loves to hate as it usually means they’re at work and, as everyone knows, the first day of work is like a really bad hangover, you just have to force yourself to get through it, drink lots of coffee, and hang in there till it’s all over. Whereas me, I don’t mind Mondays, it’s the start of a fresh week, and fresh day, and a chance to catch up on emails and paperwork.
The Ant Exterminator has just been (and left) after squiring all primary corners and skirting boards of our apartment with some toxic chemical and the advice, “…don’t breathe this in, it’s harmful to humans and pets.”
What? wtf
When the OH said they had informed the Front Desk we had a few ants, here and there, I thought they’d send someone from maintenance to take a look first, and see if anything drastic was warrented.
Another night on the couch and another movie, Lift. This time we watched Kevin Hart in a Kevin Hart action-packed adventure that requires you to suspend your disbelief at the press of play, and just sit back and watch as the assembled cast of named actors do their thing with tongue in cheek.
Over the top silliness that was, nonetheless, a fun escape seeing the sights of Europe.
Go on, you know you want to. 🍿🍿🍿🍿
This movie review is brought to you by your friendly neighbourhood Popcorn Diva
I have a $25 gift card for Amazon that my SiL gave me as part of my Christmas gift. And, I’m stuck with what to buy. I mean, I don’t normally shop at Amazon to begin with. The place just overwhelms me with, well, stuff.
So, Gentle Reader, if it was your gift card, what would you buy?
This post is brought to you by the letters A and W.
Fast, furious fun, I couldn’t put this one down. Why? Because it has all my favourite elements; not only is it a well-written thriller, with believable flawed characters, but Berry manages to make the historical background and info dumps enlightening, educational, and yes, even relevant in today’s climate.
With never a dull moment, The 14th Colony is the epitome of a page-turner. And while some reviewers have disliked Berry’s stye of writing from several viewpoints, I felt this heightened the tension, helped delineate the characters as much as it moved the action. All the while giving us a more in-depth look into character, motives, and consequence.
Another night on the couch last night tuning into Netflix, this time we watched The Union starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. Which was a classic Wahlberg movie, action-packed lightweight hair-raising fun, with some really nifty stunts. All the right ingredients we’ve come to expect in a Wahlberg movie. I’d say, at 57 and 58 respectively, Wahlberg and Berry can still run with the best of them.
Oh, and bonus comedy snippets from Dana Delany and Lorraine Bracco. Priceless.
We watched To Catch A Killer on Netflix last night so you don’t have to.
This ultra violent movie had little or no story other than a damaged man wanting to kill as many people as possible. Not that the police and FBI were any less violent, killing their way through this 2 hour blood-splattered movie with a vengeance.
“And I have walked 500 miles … and I will walk 500 hundred more …"
Well, actually, I haven’t walked 500 miles yet. But I’m sure I did last year, and then some. I just totalled up how far I actually walked in this first week of the year and, it came to: 35.5 km
And that was a quiet week for me where the weather was dreadful and I didn’t get outside all that much. Now I’m excited for the really good weather to see just how far I do walk not only each day, but each week, and, of course, each month.
We binge watched the twisted thriller, Missing You, on Netflix yesterday and, I have to say, while I loved the tension throughout, was left a little letdown by the ending. Those last few scenes in the last episode were, well, questionable.
Dec 30th to Jan 5th, 2025
One week in using my mini BuJo pocket journal and, I couldn’t be happier. It’s the perfect size for me and the kind of notes I’m taking and yet, still big enough to scribble quotes in, doddle silly pics, and use enough Washi tape to keep Japan’s economy going for another 25 years. Ah, don’t you just love the fresh smell of those dotted cream pages in a new bright yellow journal!
Yes, I know, it’s dangerous to go down this road. But I’ve decided not to pander to what everyone else wants, but what I want. And what I want is … everything in one place.
Between the torrential rain and the blowing snow that came afterwards, plus the howling winds, I haven’t left our apartment complex since Sat Dec 28th.
Lucky for me we have a small corner shop in building one we can get to, underground, via tunnels. You know you live in the frozen north when you can reach six different buildings via underground tunnels …
I started using my bright shiny new yellow Leuchttrum1917 Bullet Journal Pocket notebooks yesterday. Well, not all three at once, you understand. Just one to start with. They’re a set of three and only come in threes, to use monthly (I think). Well, that’s what I plan on doing, one a month to see how well they do and, so far, after just two days, I can say hand on heart, I love them.
These A6 size notebooks are meant to be used vertically to simulate a full on A5 size page (spread) of the larger adult(?) version of the Leuchttrum1917 journal. These little handy pocket sized notebooks are a clever marketing ploy way of journaling on the go. Especially as the size offers more mobility than the full A5 journal does.
And being yellow? I had to have them of course. Thankfully, the OH got me a three pack as part of my Christmas stocking fillers, so I’m a happy little journaller playing with her coloured pens and stickers, doodling.
And what planner/notebooks are you starting this new year?
It has been steadily raining since 3pm Saturday afternoon, and hasn’t stopped since. Not only is a wet and dreary outside, but all the lovely white fluffy stuff has long since melted. Throw in the fact it’s PLUSE 7 degrees, a whopping jump from minus 21 last week, and I’m wondering if that was winter over with?
Of course not, we have february to go, yet. And that’s always our worst month here, in the Frozen North … though maybe not so frozen for much longer if global warming has its way.
