Bryce Moore's Blog, page 55

Weighted Blankets

One of my favorite Christmas presents this year has to be this weighted blanket. I’d read about them before, and I’d wondered if they would actually be worth it. I mean, the thing cost $100. That seems like a bit steep for a blanket. How much difference would it make? Like many of you, all the uproar in the world has left me struggling to sleep sometimes. Could this be the trick? I decided to stop wondering and give it a go. After all, if it did work, then $100 was cheap for the amount of benefit I’d get out of it.

When I got it, I was first surprised by just how much this thing weighs. You’re supposed to get one that’s 10% of your body weight, which is why I went with the 20 pounder. And you wouldn’t think 20lbs would weigh that much. I think it’s the weight distribution that’s wonky. I’m just not used to having a blanket that looks that light end up being so heavy. When I’m lying under it, it doesn’t feel too much; it’s carrying it from spot to spot that’s more of a pain than I imagined.

But man do I love being under it. For a long time growing up, I had this massive down comforter that was inside a denim cover. The thing weighed a ton, and I really liked sleeping under it year round. I just liked having that weight there. It felt like sleeping with a hug. This is like that, but evenly distributed. The glass beads inside the blanket at super tiny. They feel more like sand. I got a queen size, and I worried it would go over onto Denisa’s side of the bed some, and that she wouldn’t like it. However, on our king size bed, it takes up just half and completely covers me witj room to spare. Definitely glad I got the larger size. Denisa said it does make it more difficult for her to move the covers around on her side at night, but she hasn’t said it’s a big problem.

I will say that the thing can get hot now and then. But mind you, I already sleep with a down comforter, heavy blanket, and flannel sheets. It’s also below 60 in my bedroom, so it has to get pretty warm for me to get uncomfortable. When that happens, it’s not the easiest thing to just throw that cover off in the middle of the night. That hasn’t stopped me from using it at all, but I thought I’d mention it.

I’ve spoken to some people who wish they’d gotten larger blankets. The queen size has been plenty for me, and I’m glad I chose it. I’ve been sleeping better at night, and waking up feeling much more refreshed. Could it be the placebo effect? Sure. Do I care? Why would I if it’s working. And anyway, it just feels nice.

I could see that they might not be for everyone, but if you’re on the fence about getting one, I vote for just going for it.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Weight Check In: Omicron Edition

It’s been a while since I checked in with my somewhat regular accountability post on my weight. The last time, actually, was the end of my last big push to lose weight. That was back in April of 2021. I’d been just going with a limited menu of foods for about six weeks, and I got down to 177.4. In the intervening months, however, life got very (very) hectic, and my diet completely went out the window. I even stopped weighing myself over Christmas break, which is usually the first step toward complete disaster.

So after all those months of no dieting, what was the damage?

I’m pleased to say I clocked in today at 186.6. Yes, that’s almost up 10 pounds, but when you consider the last check in was just after dieting (and my weight inevitably bounces back up some after I go off a diet), then it’s not that far off from where I’d like to be, which is in the 180-185 range. Honestly, I’m amazed I managed to go somehow keep things together enough to not completely lose it.

I’m switching back to my normal menu now, which means usually the same meals every day. I know I call it a “diet,” but honestly it’s almost more comfortable for me to eat that way than to eat any other way. I don’t have to think about what I’m eating. I just eat the same thing at the same time every day, and I’m good to go. When I’m hungry, I know that I won’t be hungry in an hour or so, and that’s enough to keep me from minding. Yes, I’ll eat something different now and then, but on the whole, I just don’t like wasting time worrying about things that don’t matter that much to me. I love food, but I’ve found as long as I save the special food for times I really care, then the in-between times don’t really matter that much.

Anyway. Nothing else to say here other than to share that small, bright spot today. I hope your Wednesday is going well.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

TV Review: Schmigadoon

I’m a big fan of musicals of all sorts. I’ve watched them since I was young, and I still enjoy finding new ones today. So when I heard Apple TV+ had Schmigadoon, a miniseries musical riffing on other musicals, I added it to my To Watch list. It’s only 6 episodes long, and each episode is about 25 minutes, so you’re looking at about a 2.5 hour musical. Daniela and I watched it over two evenings.

A couple whose relationship is on the rocks decides to take a camping trip together to try to reignite the flame. It doesn’t go well. They get lost, and they end up in a town called Schmigadoon, peopled with tropes from a wide variety of musicals. And while the people in the town don’t recognize it when they’re doing song and dance numbers, the couple definitely does, so there’s some nice opportunities for some meta jokes along the way. And of course, the couple discovers that they can’t leave Schmigadoon until they’ve found true love.

I . . . enjoyed it? Yes. I enjoyed it. There were many genuinely funny numbers. It’s got Kristen Chenoweth, Martin Short (for all of 2 minutes). Jane Krakowski, Alan Cumming, and stars Keegan Michael-Key and Cecily Strong. It’s created by the same duo who did Despicable Me and The Secret Lives of Pets, strangely enough. Good voices, and it was entertaining to see the ways the show played on musical tropes.

That said, I’m stumped about who, exactly, I should recommend the series to. While many of the songs and content aren’t blatantly crude, they’re certainly dancing around the precipice. It’s almost like the show tries to cater to two different audiences: one that likes adult humor and material, and one that loves classic musicals. For example, there’s a Do-Re-Mi song that’s about the reproductive system of the body. There’s just no way I’m recommending that to most people I know who love Sound of Music. The Venn overlap of the people who would find that entertaining is pretty small, I imagine. There’s a running gag that the mayor of the town is in the closet, with his wife singing a song about how strange he is: “He’s a Queer One, That Man o’ Mine.”

I suppose the show’s really aimed at the Book of Mormon crowd, and thinking of it in that light, perhaps there’s a big audience out there I’m discounting. Personally, one of the things I love about most musicals is being able to share them with my family. MC started out watching this with me. She definitely didn’t finish watching it. Daniela watched it through, and she enjoyed it as well, but . . .

Overall, I gave it a 7/10, and I really have no idea which of my friends would like it. For now, it’s limited to people who like classic musicals, irreverent musicals, and who also subscribe to Apple TV+. I’ve got a pretty big hunch that’s not a lot of you, but please tell me if I’m off.

Anyone else out there already watch it?

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Back in the Groove

That’s the plan at least. After taking so much “time off,” I’ve really been looking forward to getting back to something resembling normalcy. I’m already super excited for this semester, because I (theoretically) will have so much more time. No teaching. No kitchen remodel.* True, this is Skiing Time, which means Denisa and the kids turn into complete ski bunnies, and I see much less of them, but Ferris and I will be just fine at home, seeing as how I have so much reading to catch up on.

(Not really. I’ve given myself permission to not catch up on anything I missed while I was otherwise occupied last semester. The best way to get nothing new done is to commit to doing all the stuff you were supposed to. It’s like credit card debt. Just let that debt go.)

Of course, there’s the huge question of “Will COVID screw this semester up?” And even though I have yet to ever be right when I’ve made predictions about COVID, I’m still optimistic in a pessimistic sort of way. I fully expect the month of January to be not good at all, in terms of case loads. I think a ton of people will be out sick, and I expect that to likely affect businesses and schools, as there just aren’t enough people to keep the lights on for a while. But after we get through that, I’m hopeful that things look better on the other side.

What will “that” look like, though? Just how big of an effect will Omicron have on hospitalizations and deaths? I’m less rosy on that than many. Looking at the numbers, I expect hospitalizations to go up significantly. Not nearly to the point as caseloads, but still enough to be more than we’ve ever had, just due to the sheer number of cases. For Maine, that will be very not good. We’re already close to breaking, and that’s before things go nuts. I think the overwhelmed health care system will result in side effects that complicate matters, and I really feel bad for my friends in the industry. And for my friends who need medical help for the next few months.

That said, I don’t know that there’s any way to avoid this. I’ve gotten vaccinated and boosted. So has Denisa, and my kids are all double vaxxed. I’m hopeful that means when we get it, it’s not severe. But I’m expecting to get it at this point, and to have it feel somewhere between “nothing” and “bad flu.” We’ll see how that works out for me.

But I’m still hopeful that the semester proceeds more or less as planned, with just some speed bumps along the way.

There’s so much that I want to get back to. Reading. Writing. Baking. Exercise. Eating normal food. Researching random stuff without being under some sort of deadline. Playing Magic. The last four months have consisted of me giving most of that up, and it’s the sort of stuff I look forward to most. It’s nice to be reminded of just how important it is to me, but . . .

No more reminders, okay?

In any case, expect to see me back here each weekday again. We’ll see what I come up with in terms of topics. Oh–and Happy New Year!

*I mean, there’s still some to be done. The sunroom needs to totally be finished. It’s only insulated right now. All the floor in the kitchen needs to be done. More trim has to go up, and the door to the bathroom has to be installed. There will also be painting that needs doing. The counters will come at the beginning of March, and then (because clearly I’m an idiot when it comes to doing the same thing and expecting different results) we’ll be renovating a bathroom in March as well. Going to turn it into a small laundry room and a small bathroom. No big deal. Just completely ripping the room down to studs, switching out all the plumbing and electric, and then insulating it, adding heat (to a place that’s never had it), and painting it. Should be a cakewalk, right? For one thing, I have a separate functional bathroom that we can use, and this bathroom is in such a poor condition now, that no one in the family likes to go in there . . .

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

The Year without a Christmas

It’s been forever since I’ve jumped on here to post. It’s not because I fell off the face of the earth. Rather, I dove deep into the bowels of the kitchen renovation. I’m pleased to report that I’ve (mostly) come out the other side. (The mental image is quite appropriate.) Where is my renovation at the moment? Pretty much all demolition is done. The cabinets are all in. The island is in. The lights are in most of the kitchen. The doors are almost done. The trim is done. Almost everything is painted. The sink is in.

Probably it’s better to ask at this point, what isn’t done? The floor is the big thing. We have it, but it’s not in yet. We also need to finish off the sunroom completely. (Ceiling, walls, trim, electric, and window seats.) The door to the bathroom needs to be put in. (And then the bathroom and mudroom need to be done, but that’ll wait until February or March.)

This hasn’t really been a kitchen “remodel.” This has been the construction of a new kitchen. Most of the walls are rebuilt completely. The electric is totally new, as is the plumbing. We move the location of every major appliance. It’s been a loooong process. And I’ve taken many days of vacation time to help move it along more quickly. On top of that, I’ve usually worked 8-2 or 4pm during the day, and then added on another four hours or so of work at night.

We’ve emptied the dumpster in our driveway four times. It’s not a small dumpster.

The biggest casualty of all of this (other than my back) has been our Christmas season. We have almost no decorations up. We haven’t even had time to buy a tree, let alone decorate it. I did manage to get Christmas shopping done, though I haven’t wrapped anything, and some of it will be coming after Christmas.

For a person who loves to recharge his mental and physical batteries each December, this has been a Not Great Christmas. It’s even worse that it’ll be Tomas’s last Christmas at home. I’m pretty bummed about the whole thing, to say the least. That’s probably another reason I haven’t posted. I just haven’t wanted to think about what this month has been like.

I’ve completely given up on my goals. I haven’t written all month. Haven’t finished a book. Haven’t weighed myself in days. As you’ve noticed, I haven’t blogged. Other than necessities like work, I’ve done almost nothing else other than spend a bit of time with the family each night watching a Cutthroat Kitchen. (When I haven’t roped family members into continuing to work on the kitchen with me.)

The good news(?) is that as I said, we’re through most of it. Denisa is going to get a tree with Tomas in a few hours, and we’ll try to decorate some before the actual holiday hits. Our contractor is coming to work on the house with me tomorrow, and then he’s taking a well-deserved break until the new year. I’ll take the same thing.

I don’t know. It’s been rough, and I’m probably underselling it if anything. The kitchen will look gorgeous, and it’s enormous compared to what it was. They’re coming to measure for the countertops tomorrow, and we’ll get them (theoretically) by mid-February. We’re going to be using plywood and leftover doors as counters until then. I keep thinking that I’ll be looking back at all of this a few months from now and be happy we did it all.

I just wish the timing had ended up being better. It’s not like we planned for it to happen now. It is what it is.

In any case, don’t really plan on seeing me much around here until next year. I’ll be taking what vacation I can scrounge. I hope things are going well for you. Catch you on the flip side.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Downward Spiral of Discourse

For the longest time, I always looked at Facebook as a relatively safe space for people to post. Sure, you’d have arguments break out on walls from time to time, but I felt that overall, people would generally respect each other on Facebook for the simple reason that they weren’t anonymous. Because their actual picture and personality were attached to those comments, I thought it would keep the worst tendencies reined in. (Compared to anonymous comments on newspaper articles, for example.)

Lately, it’s felt like that’s fundamentally changed. I’m on some local Facebook groups, and it seems to me that some people have just given up on any pretense of being polite. They’re mean and nasty, leaving biting comments at the drop of a hat, confronting strangers with ultimatums and accusations. In some cases, it feels like they almost take pride in their combativeness. It’s very discouraging and depressing.

I understand that there are many different things to argue about these days. Politics, COVID, religion, current events, and more. But I don’t understand the draw to go online and confront people about things you disagree with, whether those people are strangers or acquaintances. It’s to the point with some of these posters that I recognize their name and know they’re just going to be jerks when they post. And clearly they’re okay with that?

I don’t know. It feels to me like we had something that was working well for a while. Social media was bringing people together from across the country and different ways of life. But now we’re to the point that the unifying effect has turned into more of a divisive one, where people have found Their People and are now doing their best (in some cases) to attack people they disagree with.

My desire to keep blogging and keep putting my thoughts out there is dwindling. When it felt like my thoughts might make a difference, it was motivating. When it feels like my thoughts will be read by people who agree with them and ignored or attacked by people who don’t, then why would I want to keep putting them out there?

I’m not saying I’m going to give up on blogging (though certainly I haven’t been blogging as much, since I’ve been doing so much work on this blasted kitchen). I still enjoy it, though I can certainly now see a future where it’s just not worth it anymore. (Not to mention the fact that the interaction I get on my posts has gotten less and less, as fewer people are willing to engage, and Facebook has become progressively stingier about who gets to see my posts.)

I definitely feel the need for some sort of disruption to the social media environment. The current trajectory is untenable, and I just hope something else comes along to fix or replace it. I’m not looking for a different platform. I don’t need one that’s more conservative or more liberal. I’m looking for something that hasn’t been invented yet. Something that somehow plays to social media’s strengths while somehow avoiding the weaknesses.

The problem is, if we live in a world where people are already fine being rude not just to strangers, but to friends or family, then I don’t know that any technology platform can fix that. How do we turn the tide on something like that?

There’s your encouraging thought for the day . . .

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Glad to Be a Librarian

Sometimes you take a look at your life and realize how happy you are to be where you are and to be doing what you’re doing. That can happen when you have something come across your regular life that just is so right, it reminds you how great you’ve got it. It can also, of course, happen when you do something so far out of what you normally do, and it makes you realize how much better what you normally do really is.

For me, this kitchen renovation has been more of the latter than the former. I am very glad there are people like my contractor who are so good at looking at a space and knowing what needs to be done to that space to turn it into the space you’d like it to be. Not just that, but they’re able to make that happen.

I am not one of those people.

Everyone I’ve talked to about kitchen renovations has commiserated with me about how difficult they are, and I appreciate it. That said, there are multiple elements to this renovation that have made it more difficult than perhaps even a normal kitchen renovation.

We’re renovating the oldest part of our house. Built in 1841, when we’re moving some of these walls around, we’re dealing with huge beams, not 2×4’s. More like 8x8s or 12x12s. The floor hasn’t known a straight day in its life, and the walls have only a passing relationship to level. When you’re trying to put normal, modern elements into a kitchen like that, it’s difficult to say the least.The kitchen is over the smallest part of the crawlspace in the basement. Probably about two feet of clearance, and you’re crawling over piles of brick, fieldstone, and dirt, with plenty of spiderwebs, spiders, and the remnants of decades of rodents. I don’t like cramped spaces. I’m not full blown claustrophobic, but I lean in that direction. Yesterday, while I was down in the bowels of my house and had just cut open my hand with a sawzall, I definitely wasn’t hoping to do renovation work for the rest of my life.Our contractor is awesome, but he’s just one guy. We don’t have a team of construction people showing up to git ‘r dun. Because a lot of the work on this project needs another set of hands, that other set of hands has been, typically, me. I’ve taken multiple “days off” to work on the kitchen. Except each day I “take off” just means I’m falling behind on actual work, which means once I’m done with construction (or in the middle of it), I have to jump on a Zoom call or answer emails, or work on grading papers. This is a big renovation. Totally replaced one wall. Tearing down two walls. Combining three different slightly different floor levels. Moving the fridge, sink, oven, and dishwasher. Moving baseboard heat (which we thankfully contracted out). Swapping out the floor and the ceiling. You name it.

And then, above all, is the fact that this has gone on for sooooo long. Between first thinking of the renovations three or four years ago to finally getting around to it, I am so ready for it to be done. Ready to stop the days of getting up and starting construction work first thing, and then continuing that work after my contractor has gone home, to try and get through this quicker. 12 hours a day of construction is enough to remind me that yes, I’d much rather be a librarian.

However, we now have a sink that has running water, even if it doesn’t always drain. We have an over where it belongs, and it works, even if it doesn’t have a range hood yet. We have a fridge that’s plugged in where it’s supposed to be, with a waterline attached to it that doesn’t leak, even if the fridge isn’t quite ready to be put in place. And we have a dishwasher next to the spot it’s going to go, with electrical and water already hooked up next to it.

The ceiling is mostly done. The drywall is . . . halfway finished? We only have one wall left to tear down. We are making progress, even if I’m too tired to recognize it.

I am so looking forward to going back to just being a librarian and author. Stick to my strengths.

But hey: at least I’ll have an awesome kitchen once I get there.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Wheel of Time TV Series Thoughts

I did not expect to like the Wheel of Time adaptation on Amazon Prime. I think I was gun shy right from the beginning. This is a series that I have been invested in for decades, ever since I first saw Eye of the World in the library and picked it up for two basic reasons: I thought the cover looked cool (a group of travelers in fantasy garb, up against a full moon), and it was very thick. I loved it, and I was hooked for the whole journey, waiting impatiently as the books came out over the years, culminating in them being finished by a good friend.

How in the world would a TV series be able to do them justice? Getting my hopes up seemed like too much to ask, so I just sort of let the series progress in the background, and when it actually was released I went into it expecting disappointment. You can’t be really let down if you’re planning on it, right? Surely the effects would be terrible. The acting would be off. I wouldn’t like it.

Except then I watched it, and instead of disappointment, I was just flat out excited. Excited to see the opening scenes with the Trollocs attacking Two Rivers. Excited to see Shadar Logoth. Excited to meet Thom for the first time. And as all of this unfolded and unfolded well, I got even more excited. I started to think about what might lie in store if this series keeps being successful. Seeing these characters grow. Seeing more of the world. The Stone of Tear? Dumai’s Wells? Yes, please!

Is the show a carbon copy of the source material? No, but I know if it was, then it wouldn’t be successful. Film has different strengths and weaknesses compared to books. To be successful, it has to change. And I’ve really been satisfied with the changes they’ve made so far. The story clips along at a fast pace. The characters are introduced and established, and there’s a driving sense of urgency to the whole thing. The effects aren’t perfect, but they’re very well done.

Honestly, I have few gripes at all. I was initially concerned they might try to Game of Thrones it, throwing in more extreme material than the books had, but other than a random bathing scene with Lan and Moiraine, and more physical romance with the main characters than was present in the book, they haven’t. (And some of that stems just from having the main characters be 4 years older or so when the series starts.) It sticks to its TV-14 rating, and that feels like a good place for it.

I know it hasn’t been universally loved, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s been super so far, and I look forward to more of the same. What have you thought?

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Our New York City Thanksgiving

I’m back from vacation! And while I’m still up to my eyeballs in kitchen renovations, it was very nice to get away from it all for a few days and head off into Someplace Different. The vacation was, overall, a success, though of course there were some highs and lows. Among the lows was the reminder of just what it feels like to be around that many people. There were a lot of people in the city over the weekend. I’ve never been a huge fan of crowds to begin with, and I’m out of practice, which has only made that worse. Still, I made do.

Here’s a quick rundown of what we did and how it went:

Wicked: Seeing a Broadway show again was a blast. I had seen this production back with the original cast, but it was still fantastic, and a great introduction for my kids to Broadway. MC has been listening to the music ever since, and they all really enjoyed it. The sets, the costumes, the production value: all of it top notch. (Though again, the audience was a bit of a different story. There was a kid a few rows away from me who was sniffling loudly, constantly. It’s not a fun noise to hear at any point, and even worse in a pandemic.)Restaurants: We went to three. First was Tony’s Di Napoli for Italian. It’s right in Times Square, and it’s delicious. Family-style, with huge portions. Next was Thanksgiving dinner at Beauty & Essex, which was a bit of a ways away, but very cool. (You enter through a pawn shop, and it has a very speak easy sort of feel to it.) The portions were very small (because it’s that sort of restaurant), but the food was fantastic. Daniela loved it. We also had kebab at a chain restaurant called Naya’s. It was good as well. Oh–and we got bagels at a place called Joe’s Bagels, down by the 9/11 Memorial. Yay for eating different food. Especially good food that didn’t have to be made in my “kitchen.”9/11 Memorial: Speaking of which, this was my first time making it down that far in Manhattan. We didn’t do the museum, but the memorial itself was very touching.COVID precautions: I loved how NYC was handling everything COVID-related. Anywhere you went that was inside, you had to be masked and you had to provide a picture ID and vaccination card. And they didn’t just wave you through. They checked each and every card and ID. I didn’t see anyone object or throw a tantrum. It all worked smoothly, and it helped me not mind the crowds as much.The parade: After much thought and consideration, we skipped going in person and watched it on TV instead. Warmer, and definitely more comfortable. Plus, we were already doing a ton, so I think adding that on top of everything else would have been a bridge too far. I’m at peace with the decision, and I think we made the right one for us.Empire State Building: We went Thanksgiving afternoon. We got down to 34th street soon enough after the parade that everything was blocked off to traffic still. I was surprised by how few people were around then. The streets were fairly empty, and the line for the ESB wasn’t bad at all. (Not sure if that’s because you need reservations now, or just because it was Thanksgiving afternoon.) The views were fantastic. It was a clear, sunny day. I was surprised to find that I’m much more averse to heights now than I remember being. I wasn’t a huge fan of being that high up, and I had low level anxiety the whole time. But I still had fun.Night Cruise: We went on a 2 hour boat tour around Manhattan on Friday night. This was very popular with the whole family. Great views of the city, and a great tour guide. We got there early enough to be one of the first ones on the boat, so we had very good seats. Definitely recommend it to others.The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Good as always, though I’ve decided if we were to do it again, I think it would make more sense to split into smaller groups. It’s hard when some people want to breeze through a display and others want to meander. And then later on it’s the opposite. Smaller groups would alleviate that problem.Walking: We did a ton of it. 11 miles on Friday. My feet and back were very unhappy with me. That was less fun.Central Park: The first time I’d been through the park in a long time. Fun, but see my earlier comment about walking . . . Driving: We had traffic both ways down, which wasn’t great. It actually took about 9 hours for me to get home on Saturday. (It didn’t help that I got pulled over for speeding, which is another story.) Still not a fan of traffic, but who is?Hotels: The stay in Jersey City was great. I preferred the Courtyard, simply because it was so close to the PATH train. The Doubletree was maybe a bit nicer, but a farther walk. (And full size beds instead of queen size.) If I could have found a place that slept 5 for a reasonable price in downtown Manhattan, that would have been better, but this worked well.The Subway: Easy peasy. No problems at all. On time and straightforward. I’d been a bit worried about riding it with kids late at night, but my fears weren’t justified. Definitely a great way to get around the city.

Overall, a fun time was had by all. I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one, too. Now, back to kitchen renovations . . .

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Making Progress

It’s been a bit since I updated you on the kitchen progress. (Actually, it’s been a bit since I updated you, period.) Somehow, we keep moving forward, even though at times it feels like there’s no way we’re going to be able to get anything actually done. The drywall is up, electrical is in the process of being done, we’re working on switching the heat for the room, and we actually have cabinets in place now. Some of them.

Of course, each time we get something done, I just remember all the many many other things we need to do. But I’ve been taking pictures and video from each day, and it’s been helpful to go and look at the earlier videos and remind myself just how much has actually happened. I mean, the floor might not be in yet, but at least I’ve ordered it, and it’s on its way. The lights may not be done, but it’s the same for them. And insulation is largely in.

The problem with big projects like this is that it’s so hard to get to a place where you finally say to yourself that you’re finished. There’s the ultimate goal, and until you get to that goal, it can feel like you’re nowhere close. In this case, I know the kitchen won’t be finished until January or February. They’re coming to measure for the granite on a couple of weeks, and then it’ll be the new year before the granite is installed. However, my hope is that we’ll have at least a usable kitchen well before then.

What do we have to do before we can use the kitchen? Plumbing and electrical. If those are done, then the oven’s back online, the sink will work, and we’ll have a dishwasher again. Those are huge steps. And the good news is that I don’t think we’re that far from being there.

In the meantime, it’s time to take a break from all of it and head down to NYC. Thank goodness we weren’t planning on doing Thanksgiving dinner in our house. Maybe we’ll make a turkey once all of this is over. I will miss not having the traditional meal, but it’ll be good to be somewhere other than my house for a while.

Anyway. Hope you all have a lovely break, and I’ll catch you on Monday!

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.