I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

... that time of year when upon arriving home from work it's too hot and humid to go outside, to cook, to do anything productive.

I find myself wishing I was lying in the surf at Marco again...or on the lake in my kayak...

But I'm not.  I'm stuck here.

And so I sit inside, coiled up and lazy, and tend to stuff munchies in my face just because I THINK I'm hungry.

So when I do unhealthy things -- whether emotionally or physically unhealthy -- I seek out distractions.  Happy diversions.

Like good jazz.  And good wine.

And I drift...

My mind travels and winds and wanders with every little sip, every little smile.

Jazz is good for the soul.

As is wine.

Sweet Dreams

Finally...

some time at the lake.

Note to Self: Unplug

Relax in THIS room?

What a challenge...

If this were my bathroom, I'd never leave!

I'm making myself unplug.  After all, it IS Friday.  And I've worked my brain into oblivion this week -- practicing YET AGAIN for my realtime exam, to the point I'm pretty sure I dream in steno; not to mention working my butt off in the gym (combined with a clean diet, of course) to get off the ten pounds I gained from about the last week in December until two weeks ago when I finally said, "Enuf!."

Damn, why has it gotten even HARDER to get this crap off?  Damn menopause.  Evil, relentless, unforgiving, calculating, menacing menopause.  The scale won't move!  But I refuse to give up.

Just like I refuse to give up on passing my CRR exam.  My practice and effort has been doubly concentrated this time around.  I practiced for so long today I felt myself wanting to collapse onto my steno machine the last practice dictation.  My dutiful mind was willing, but the flesh was weak, pleading, stop this, please!

It's been a full day.  An hour at the gym at 6 a.m. this morning, a full day at work, followed by an hour plus of practice when I arrived home.  I finally did it.  I pulled the plug on GETTIN IT DONE.

And so I decided to make a wine cocktail of sorts, a recipe that a friend shared with me.  She wasn't specific on the type of wine to use, just said to use Moscato.  I'm not big on sweet wine, so I was a little reluctant to try this out.  So earlier this week I went browsing in the wine section of our local grocery and discovered this:

What caught my eye about THIS one ...

well, for starters, the label...

"Espuela"

which actually means "spur," I think.

But what did I know?

It had a mysterious and seductive ring to it, piquing my interest.

(insert raised eyebrow)

But more importantly, the label read:

"...reputedly rich in flavors of crisp apple and fresh peaches..."

That did it.

Well, because the recipe calls for peach sparkling water and fresh peaches.

Perfect!

And though I don't have fresh peaches 

-- not yet! --

I happily placed the bottle in my cart.

Let's give this one a go, T...

...and began launching the new concoction this evening...

And so I mixed the peach sparking water, a 1:3 ratio with 

Espuela Del Gaucho Torrontes,

and ohhhh, yes.

This is very good, okay?

And I'm not even a big white wine fan.

And then I added a little Johannes Linstead for good measure.

So, yes, this will be on the beach with me later this year

for Cocktail of the Day.

Adding fresh peaches, of course.

And how am I feeling now?

Just peachy.

Happy Friday.

Madness- FNL

Madness?

I'm pretty much there.

Been there.

And aching to leave.

Muh-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh- madness.

Winter blues have ravaged me.
Yep, I'm musing on my blues.

Spring can't come soon enough.

But it's Friday.

I claim the joy of Fridays.

I think it's time for a glass of red.

Ever been fixated on a song?

ooooh...so sexy, this one...

Good Friends

Friends.

Think of all the people whose kindred connection

has left a lasting imprint on your heart.

On your very soul.

Yes.

Those are the ones.

They are the friends who never leave you.

Even when you can't see them

or touch them

or hear them.

They are still there.

They'll always be there.

SECRETS

What Season Are We In Again?

My day began here...

And ended here...

well, not exactly.

Not at the ocean at least.

I took a half day off.

Picked up some groceries,

unloaded and put them away.

Poured myself a glass of wine,

and headed to the patio.

And THIS was the image on my weather app.

On December 30th.

I feel maybe a wee bit guilty...?

So many other people in the country experiencing bad weather.

And yet we've been blessed this past week with 50 to 70 something weather.

Wow.

Just wow.

I'll take it.

I gotta say it felt pretty awesome sitting on the patio,

having a glass of wine,

the sun playing peekaboo with the clouds,

dressed in light cords,

my new UGGs from Santa,

a long-sleeve T,

and a wool blazer

IN DECEMBER.

Girrrrrllll!  Drink it in.

LITERALLY.