This is 57...

2025.02.04

Feb 04, 2025

Song of the day:

It seems like it would be easy to be a child again, right? To escape from realities of adulthood, especially in the midst of everything going on right now seems like an amazing idea. We can’t, of course, go back, but I think it never hurts to embrace our inner child and have fun when we can. We can’t forget to pay attention to the world around us and our grown up responsibilities, but we definitely can - and SHOULD - take a break every now and then.

I turned 57 today, and while some days I feel every bit of my 57 years, most of the time I feel (and probably act!) much younger. I love kid movies and building LEGO sets and collecting stuffed animals and Funko Pops. I read young adult novels and listen to some of the music the kids listen to these days (with a healthy amount of other music in the mix, too of course). I mean I did know who almost everyone was on the Grammy’s Sunday night even if I didn’t know or care for all of their music. I’d like to believe these things keep me young, and I’m glad. I’m not sad that I’m in my 50s, and I certainly never think about lying about my age, but I enjoy embracing the fun of youth in whatever ways I still can.

So here’s 57…and it feels pretty good.

I plan to have a pretty chill day today. My mom and I are going out to a nice lunch, then may do a little shopping and/or wandering afterward. We’ll probably watch a movie later and hopefully I’ll find time to finish the book I’m currently reading. So that’s about it.

A few updates since it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post…

Movies:

One of Them Days - Funny, but does contain a lot of language so it may not be for everyone. I was highly entertained and diverted from the fact that the country is falling apart around us.
Dog Man - So cute. I never read these books or saw the cartoon on TV, but after seeing the author on a show, we decided we needed to see it. And it was super fun. And also diverting. You know, from the chaos of the country.
Love Me - I have no idea how to even describe this movie, but I don’t recommend it. It was truly odd. I understood the point they were trying to make, but yeah. Not a fave.
Super/Man - We watched this documentary about Christopher Reeve, and it was so good. So sad, too, but overall, very well done. Fair warning though, you’ll definitely need tissues.
Unstoppable - This is a movie based on the true story of Anthony Robles, an ASU wrestler who became a national champion. It’s truly inspiring, and while a few things were embellished for the movie, the core of the story is true. It was also mostly filmed at ASU, so that was fun for me.

Books:

Still reading The Davenports: More Than This by Krystal Marquis. I should finish it later today. It’s so good, and I don’t know why it’s taking me so long to read it. I need to make more time for reading in general. Not to mention writing, but that’s a post for another day.

TV:

I’m still working my way through all the Marvel movies and shows. I think I’m about halfway done, as I finished Phase 2 and started Phase 3. But oy…some of these shows are DARK. I don’t love them. I usually watch when I’m doing other things like building furniture or LEGO. Regardless, I’m still going to see Captain America: Brave New World next week. I tried to get through all the things before this movie came out, but it just wasn’t possible. So excited for the movie though!
The Mother and I are Jeopardy junkies and watch it every evening. Right now we also have the added bonus of Celebrity Jeopardy AND Pop Culture Jeopardy! It’s a lot, and we love it. We have our favorites and actually learn a lot along the way. Anyone else watch?
I highly recommend watching Ladies and Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. It was fantastic!! Even if you’ve never watched SNL, you can appreciate all the musicians who performed, as well as the stellar way the documentary was put together. Quest Love is an actual genius.
I also recommend watching the Fire Aid Benefit Concert for the LA fires. The full show is on YouTube and Disney+. The performances and collaborations were amazing, as were all the tributes to the heroes who fought the fires for weeks, and the heartbreaking/heartwarming stories of people who lived through the horror. Thank goodness all the fires have been contained!
I thought this year’s Grammy awards show (held Sunday night) was great! The performances were good (I only fast forwarded through a couple of them, which is not the norm for me), and it was a nice celebration of music while also raising more money for the LA fire rebuilding efforts. Trevor Noah was a fantastic host, as usual, and as with so many things, it was a nice break from everything that’s been happening in this country and around the world. You can watch most of the performances on the Grammy home page, but if you only have time to watch one, let it be this one: Cynthia Erivo singing Frank Sinatra as part of the Quincy Jones tribute. I mean, WOW.

Other Stuff:

I went to the grand opening of a brand new Barnes & Noble bookstore in a nearby town, which was so fun! A local author was signing her books, so I got to meet her and get them signed. I also got to meet The Cat in the Hat! So yeah, very cool. Also - books!!
I’ve been rearranging my upstairs rooms so that I have an actual mini den and not a den/office. It was just too crowded in that room. So now my desk is in my bedroom (it’s a huge room) and the other room will be just for reading, TV watching and building LEGO. I also went to IKEA to find some new filing drawer things for my desk and put those together this last week. It allowed me to repurpose some old plastic mis-matched drawers so now it’s a lot more organized.
I think I’ve FINALLY found a good place for mani/pedis (first world problems, I know). I’d tried a couple of others, but they weren’t great and one was super expensive. This one is much better and more reasonably priced. YAY!