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valkryorHappy Birthday to me!
I am now officially older than my father was when he died. Yeah, odd milestone, but it certainly feels more personal than, say, a decade marker like 40 or 50. A few years ago, we were getting lunch at a Wimpy's Diner before heading to Toronto for Christmas and I spied an old advertisement on the wall that dredged a memory of my dad up from the depths of my brainmeats, so I sent it to my sister to see if she also remembered and she did!
My dad used to roll his own cigarettes. Not using a pinch of tobacco and papers, but a machine. I can't remember what it looked like now, but I have, in my head, an image of something akin to the old credit card imprinters. I can see him sitting at the kitchen table, newspapers laid out to keep the excess tobacco somewhat corralled. Anyway. Weird memory to have crop up.
Here's the ad that brought that up to the surface:
+~+~+
I have finished my first week of work. It was...work, but I did it and am going to have to adjust to the tiredness that comes with it. (I am still very proud of myself for getting outside and working, even if it was only 8 hours over two days.) On my first day, waiting for the bus home, I got to use my new emergency hat because it was too cold and windy to be standing still. I found the UGLIEST yarn while out thrifting for overalls for Declan's Hallowe'en costume. Then I googled hat patterns and found one I really liked the look of. It's ugly and cozy and I LOVE IT.
(Pictures don't do it justice. It's more vibrant in person.)
+~+~+
Yesterday, we all had a spot of very successful errand running! First up were flu shots for the lot of us. This year, we went to an independent pharmacy and it was quicker than it is at a chain.
While we were waiting the 15 minutes, we wandered through the dollar store and found gloves for the boy. His mitts died an ignoble death last year and he needed something new. I asked him if he wants a string (idiot strings are the best way to keep kids from constantly losing mittens and gloves, because that can get expensive and fast); he declined. Well, at least they weren't THAT expensive.
The longest errand we ran was buying winter boots for the boy. He has adult sized feet and sensory issues, so it makes it challenging. As a woman with hard-to-fit feet, I completely get it. BUT, after much gnashing of teeth and beating of breast, we found a pair that are a good size, didn't cost a gajillion dollars, and should do for the year. Added bonus? Not having to deal with the craziness that will be today (the store was pretty quiet when we went). The weather is turning and that reminds parents that they need winter gear for their kiddos.
It was dark when we came home, but the sky was FANTASTIC. This is the best shot I got from my cellphone:
+~+~+
I haven't been reading much lately. I'm still editing my book, and I was thinking that writing is taking enough energy that I don't have much to spare to create new worlds from the words of others. While that does impact on the time I have to read, it doesn't really explain why I have been buying books and not reading them. Maybe things will settle out in a week or so when I get myself used to working for someone else again. Maybe.
Or maybe I should start reading something today, because it's mah birfday.
I am now officially older than my father was when he died. Yeah, odd milestone, but it certainly feels more personal than, say, a decade marker like 40 or 50. A few years ago, we were getting lunch at a Wimpy's Diner before heading to Toronto for Christmas and I spied an old advertisement on the wall that dredged a memory of my dad up from the depths of my brainmeats, so I sent it to my sister to see if she also remembered and she did!
My dad used to roll his own cigarettes. Not using a pinch of tobacco and papers, but a machine. I can't remember what it looked like now, but I have, in my head, an image of something akin to the old credit card imprinters. I can see him sitting at the kitchen table, newspapers laid out to keep the excess tobacco somewhat corralled. Anyway. Weird memory to have crop up.
Here's the ad that brought that up to the surface:
+~+~+
I have finished my first week of work. It was...work, but I did it and am going to have to adjust to the tiredness that comes with it. (I am still very proud of myself for getting outside and working, even if it was only 8 hours over two days.) On my first day, waiting for the bus home, I got to use my new emergency hat because it was too cold and windy to be standing still. I found the UGLIEST yarn while out thrifting for overalls for Declan's Hallowe'en costume. Then I googled hat patterns and found one I really liked the look of. It's ugly and cozy and I LOVE IT.
(Pictures don't do it justice. It's more vibrant in person.)
+~+~+
Yesterday, we all had a spot of very successful errand running! First up were flu shots for the lot of us. This year, we went to an independent pharmacy and it was quicker than it is at a chain.
While we were waiting the 15 minutes, we wandered through the dollar store and found gloves for the boy. His mitts died an ignoble death last year and he needed something new. I asked him if he wants a string (idiot strings are the best way to keep kids from constantly losing mittens and gloves, because that can get expensive and fast); he declined. Well, at least they weren't THAT expensive.
The longest errand we ran was buying winter boots for the boy. He has adult sized feet and sensory issues, so it makes it challenging. As a woman with hard-to-fit feet, I completely get it. BUT, after much gnashing of teeth and beating of breast, we found a pair that are a good size, didn't cost a gajillion dollars, and should do for the year. Added bonus? Not having to deal with the craziness that will be today (the store was pretty quiet when we went). The weather is turning and that reminds parents that they need winter gear for their kiddos.
It was dark when we came home, but the sky was FANTASTIC. This is the best shot I got from my cellphone:
+~+~+
I haven't been reading much lately. I'm still editing my book, and I was thinking that writing is taking enough energy that I don't have much to spare to create new worlds from the words of others. While that does impact on the time I have to read, it doesn't really explain why I have been buying books and not reading them. Maybe things will settle out in a week or so when I get myself used to working for someone else again. Maybe.
Or maybe I should start reading something today, because it's mah birfday.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-14 06:59 pm (UTC)Also, yay on boots and mitts that fit. Fingers crossed that the mitts last longer than the last time your triedwithout the strings!
Second, on the reading thing, I didn't work last year. I read all the books. I tried to maintain reading when I went back to work and... nope. Not enough brain. I am clearly going to have to save the books for holidays.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 01:09 pm (UTC)Age is weird. I don't feel middle-aged, but fuck, does my body like to remind me that I am and constantly getting older. Ugh.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-17 01:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-17 03:09 am (UTC)Whatever milestones are meaningful to you are ones worth noting *hugs offered* and surprisingly, a lot of folks seem to have "older than parent when they died", which I guess is an interesting marker of mortality and life experience and such.
It's nice you have your sister to bounce memories off of :)
Congrats on your first week of work!! It can be strangely exhausting... the change in habit, leaving the house, interacting with others. I hope it continues to be worth it!
no subject
Date: 2021-11-17 01:33 pm (UTC)Milestones are a weird thing, especially once you start getting to a point when you become aware of death and what it means. My dad was 23 when I was born, and I was 23 when he died. 47 seemed impossibly in the future at the time but easy enough to achieve and here we are.
My maternal grandmother died at 58 (59? I'll have to ask my mom), so my next milestone is living longer than she did. She died when I was 9 and I didn't know her nearly as well as I should have. But I was a kid and kids are stupid. :P
no subject
Date: 2022-01-18 03:11 pm (UTC)Because no kid really gets the importance of knowing older people well, or how to know them, or what to ask them. Which tracks. They're figuring out themselves first!
no subject
Date: 2022-01-19 01:34 pm (UTC)