November 29
A quick entry for a slow day (probably, but you know how I am so don't be surprised if it's like 5k words.) I actually got some sleep last night, which was pretty nice. The guest bed here is quite comfortable, much nicer than the bed in there when it was actually my bedroom (or my sister's bedroom, for that matter!) It was the biggest non-master bedroom so my middle sister had me moved out of that room before the garage door closed behind our minivan taking me to college. I had a solid ten years in there before that, though, and she only got about three before college, so nyah. My youngest sister never took the room because she elected to completely decoupage one wall of the third-largest bedroom with advertisements she clipped from magazines instead. When she moved out, my mom had to basically go in there with a chisel and solvent. But anyway! Sleeping in the guest room is very familiar surroundings and the bed is nice and I got good sleep there.
Husband has not been feeling great the last couple days (nothing covid-y, thank god) so he headed off to the urgent care while people were doing remote church this morning and got some antibiotics. He then treated himself to Culver's because that sort of thing is never fun. The rest of us had a very tasty casserole that my dad optimistically described as "healthy" because it has almost no carbs but that is utterly chock full of fat. My mom admitted to me that she got the recipe from my dad's diet book but doubled up on all the things that make it taste good. But it had lots of turkey and broccoli, lots of shredded cheese, lots of chopped pecans, and some kind of seasoned mayo sauce and it was very yummy. Low carb casserole is definitely a sometimes food.
Sis and BIL went home this afternoon, definitely a bummer, but on the other hand their being back at home meant my dad could get the Walmart deal he wanted. It was sold out in the six closest Walmarts here, but in stock in one of Sis's local Walmarts. So we bought it and they are going to pick it up. It's a little cheapo printer my dad wants so he can do his taxes on vacation, so they don't exactly need it right away anyhow. Technology is weird and amazing in so many ways. Speaking of which, I spent time today trying to find a new laptop in my price range because I got some Christmas money from my folks (yay!) and I think I may be close to picking one out. Kiddo will be ecstatic when I'm not having to borrow his all the time.
I still have to go as low-end as possible though, because the truck's tires are almost bald and it still makes a weird noise and needs a new battery, and eventually Husband is going to need something to drive again even if there is no regular commuting til fall. He is actually really enjoying online teaching and says he's been able to interact with his students more meaningfully this year than in most of his teaching before. They are also digging him this year because he has been making an active effort to have his classes be useful and educational while not being a significant source of additional stress in a year that has already been pretty shitty. Deadlines have been a very relaxed sort of thing, and the students appreciate the effort. But all good things must come to an end and I definitely do not want to go back to the era of our lives when we only had one vehicle for our household and it was usually at least 30 minutes drive away from me. This is especially true because I am still trying to get an actual-fax job and will need my car for that. Of course, when I do get a job we will hopefully not be in such a tight money spot, so that'll maybe solve itself?
Anyway, back to actually journaling which is what I am supposed to be doing here. In the evening we ate the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers (amazing!) and watched Frozen II while I worked on a hat for my dad. None of us had seen it yet, though I knew the basic plot. It was pretty good! Idina Menzel is a much better singer than voice actress and her emoting comes off as a little weak next to Kristen Bell acting her little heart out, but Elsa is ethereal-weird enough that it works okay in the end. It is definitely funny how the female characters in that movie only look a little bit facially human, especially when they are singing. I also watched some short Inside Pixar documentaries and some Desert Bus reruns, and listened to some fiddle from Sharkfists on Twitch. This was enough entertainment that by the time my fingers were tired out, I had the had two-thirds done. Go me! This is very important because I have to finish the hat for my dad before I can do the other hat my mom really wants, and we only have four more days. Knit like the wind!
