Thursday, January 14, 2016

Currently: The January Edition

Happy almost-Friday!  Happy almost-mid-month (what? how?)!  Here's what's currently happening in my neck of the woods.

Reading:  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for the postal book club I'm part of. It's a book I likely would not have sought out on my own as it's about video games and 80s pop cultures but I am surprisingly liking it. This is why I love book clubs - they push you read things you might not have otherwise!

Loving: Amazon Prime. I'm in the midst of a 30-day trial but they have me hooked so I will get a yearly membership. I love being able to ship things, especially gifts, in 2 days and it's really nice to order things that would otherwise require an errand (you know, since I HATE driving). Lastly, the shows on Amazon Prime are a great supplement to Netflix. Phil and I have agreed that, going forward, he'll share his Netflix subscription and I'll share my Amazon Prime subscription so there will be no additional cost to me as the amount I'll spend for my Amazon Prime membership equates to what I was paying for Netflix.

Thinking:  about a purge that I am going to do in Feburary which I'll tell you more about later this month!

Frustrated: by how long this head cold is lingering. I'm feeling better than last week but it just won't go away completely. I'm so over blowing my nose.

Feeling:  excited for the long weekend ahead (I get MLK Day off). Monday will be my first "shouldless" day of 2016 and I am soooo excited for a commitment-free, should-free kind of day! I'm picturing a yoga class and a lot of reading, Gilmore Girl-watching, knitting, and relaxation.

Anticipating:  our trip to Mexico. We leave 3 weeks from tomorrow and given how busy January has been at work, I know the trip is going to come so fast! We had a mild month of December but the weather has turned much colder lately which makes me even more excited for our warm-weather getaway! Plus I'm excited to spend 5 full days with my favorite person!

Watching: Veep on Amazon Prime. Phil and I have only watched the first episode but so far it seems like it will be a series that we'll both enjoy. We have very different tastes when it comes to TV so it's nice to find something that we both enjoy.

Sad:  that life is unfair at times. I hate seeing good people struggling with difficult things like the loss of a parent or a difficult medical diagnosis.

Working: on being really intentional about what I say yes to. For so long I have been so bad about saying yes to things out of a feeling of obligation or to avoid disappointing someone. But an over-planned schedule left me feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. This is going to be a work in progress for me as it's hard to shift to saying no to things but ultimately it's what I need to do to create a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.

Grateful: that I am liking my job and feel some career stability for the first time in 3+ years. I just learned of another former colleague who was let go. The list of people I know in my industry that are looking for a job is pretty sickening so I feel very lucky to be employed at a company that feels stable, doing work that is challenging and enjoyable alongside colleagues that are good, smart people.

Listening: to a new podcasts hosted by the guys from the website, The Minimalists. The older I get, the less "stuff" I want to own so I think that listening to this podcast will help me curate my possessions (read: get rid of stuff I don't use or need, hence the upcoming February purge).

Wishing: That our winter forecast didn't include anymore subzero temps. I can handle anything above 0 but when the mercury drops below 0, it's brutal for me.

What are you loving, grateful for, and watching these days?

23 comments:

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

I love Amazon Prime! I have used it several years now since it was free when I was a student. Now that I'm stuck at home and can't drive for a couple weeks it is nice to quickly get on there and order what I need without having to pay a shipping cost and know it will arrive quickly!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Amazon Prime is definitely the best thing ever.
I'm so glad you are liking work these days! And glad you'll have a long weekend and time off in February :) Can't wait to hear about your shouldless day on Monday!

Charbelle said...

I LOVE Amazon prime. I've actually looked up shampoo and shaving cream when I've been super busy and running errands was a hassle but I ended up at walmart anyways because it was cheaper to go out and buy it then order. I've had it since 2012 and I pay for it each year because to me it's totally worth it. The 2 day shipping has saved me when it comes to gifts and I let my parents use the account, since I live with them, and they love the shows and movies that are available.

I'm so glad your job is going well! I know it's been a long road and I'm glad there is sunlight shining!

Jeanie said...

Mexico sounds mighty good around now! When that temp dropped, the took the express route to the basement! But all in all sounds like a pretty terrific month for you -- and a shouldless day on the horizon!

I'm loving the slower pace of January compared to December and grateful that I have the resources to live the life I have without being too panicked about things. As for watching? The last season of Downton!

Marisa A. said...

Your MLK Day sounds exactly like mine! I am already signed up for an AM Hot Yoga class and I picture a lot of coffee drinking, Gilmore Girl watching after that. Enjoy! Also, we have Amazon Prime and love it. So convenient.

Anonymous said...

Love me some Amazon Prime! Right now we are watching the 4th season of The Mindy Project and Master of None.

suki said...

I've had Amazon Prime for the last handful of years, and it's always been the best, even though I didn't take advantage of the streaming options. Ryan and I started watching Man in the High Castle, which is supposed to be pretty good. So far, only saw the first episode.

I'm sad that they're changing the Prime sharing options with family members. I used to split it with a bunch of friends (as family members), and they'd all chip in so we could have free shipping for the year.

Marlys said...

Yup, these subzero temps are not to my liking either and this weekend looks worse that last! I will be hibernating by the fireplace with my kindle! We love Amazon Prime and also the movie package, too! It really saves us mileage as we don't have to drive 65 miles to shop when I can sit at my computer!
We are watching the last season of Downton and so far it has been great! I will hate to see the series come to an end!
Enjoy the trip to MX!!!

Nora said...

Amazon Prime is a game changer! Absolutely love it. I've heard good things about VEEP but haven't had a chance to watch it.

Loving: that it's 60 degrees here today.
Wishing: That our office was closed on Monday since almost everyone I work with will be closed.
Grateful: My friends. They lift me up when I need it and I'm so thankful for that!

Abby said...

We love Amazon Prime! I love the cheap e-books. And at the end of the month, that will be our only source of "TV". Totally worth it for the shipping too!

I am with you on the difficulty with people suffering tough times. I've been having some tough days @ work lately with some really really hard conversations with some of my patients regarding lifestyles changes :( Seriously breaks my heart into pieces, and I pray the can feel my empathy when I have those conversations.

I'm so glad you get a "should-less" day Monday. I'm proud of you for being conscientious of taking time for YOU in 2016 - so important!

Leigh said...

I wish Amazon was better in Canada. I search both sites and the American one says it will ship to Canada, but then I go to check out and it says it won't. It's so annoying as amazon has some good stuff! There have been so many layoffs in Calgary because of the dropping price of oil- luckily, my job is safe. It would be so hard to be constantly searching/rejected for jobs

Mandy said...

Amazon Prime is a game changer. It's a favorite in my household. I even use it to order dog foo, because it's cheaper and I don't have to lug a 35+lb bag of food around a store/car. I'm currently obsessed with The Americans. So glad you are at a job you love! It makes such a huge difference in one's overall happiness when they are doing something they really enjoy. Enjoy your 3 day weekend!

Mandy said...

Amazon Prime is a game changer. It's a favorite in my household. I even use it to order dog foo, because it's cheaper and I don't have to lug a 35+lb bag of food around a store/car. I'm currently obsessed with The Americans. So glad you are at a job you love! It makes such a huge difference in one's overall happiness when they are doing something they really enjoy. Enjoy your 3 day weekend!

Stephany said...

I can't wait for Ready Player One to make its way to me via the postal book club. I've been waiting to read that book!

So glad this job change has been such a positive one for you. It makes a world of difference to work somewhere that is the right fit - sounds like this one is!

I'm currently loving the fact that it's been cold enough to turn off our AC (we're dropping into the 40s, which is so nice from the upper 80s we saw in December), grateful for a flexible job, and watching Quantico (sooo good!).

Raquelita said...

Amazon Prime is great! It's worth it for me even though they won't guarantee 2-day delivery in Alaska for what I save on shipping and the streaming -- we just finished season 2 of Mozart in the Jungle actually. Your shouldless holiday Monday and your planned trip to Mexico both sound wonderful!

I'm grateful for the day off on Monday so that I can actually take Saturday completely off from doing work (class prep, conference organizing stuff, etc.) and just enjoy the day without worrying about getting behind. (How does this happen when it's still only week one of the semester?)

Amber said...

I'm so glad you are enjoying Ready Player One! It definitely did not expect to like it so much either but it is a great book!

I forgot to cancel my Amazon Prime after my free 30 day trial! Unfortunately Amazon is not as good in Canada as in the States so I'm not sure how much I will use it this year but I didn't know you could watch shows on it, I will have to investigate that!

Your should-less day sounds AMAZING! I need to start a new knitting project. I was getting so into it last spring but haven't even picked up my knitting needles since last spring. I think I need to pick out a new pattern and project to get me excited about it again!

Erin said...

I love Amazon Prime! You will have to check out their playlists on Amazon music. You get access to so many awesome artists! And we just made the jump to ditching our cable so everything we watch will now be on Amazon Prime or Netflix. Oh-- you also get to choose 1 free ebook month from about 4 or 5 choices. And those are just SOME of the added perks in addition to the great 2 day shipping.

I'm really proud of you doing the "should-less" Monday! You deserve it! I know we are very similar in our feelings of obligations, but I've honestly felt SO much better since I started saying "no" more. It isn't always easy because I still sometimes worry about upsetting/disappointing people, but taking that time for myself or the boys is just good for my soul.

I will conclude this long comment by saying how happy I am to hear you talk about the job.

Life seems so good for you right now and that makes ME happy. Love you!

Vanessa Meads said...

Amazon Prime is so great! I love it.

These days I am loving the gym in my building (especially on these cold winter days), grateful for my education/work experience (which is making my recent job search the most positive and least stressful I've had to date), and watching American Horror Story (at least I was until last night, when this season ended).

Enjoy your shouldless day!

Anonymous said...

I love Prime just like everyone else, except I always feel a bit guilty about how much I love it after reading an article about how crappy Amazon treats its employees.

Wishing you a happy and relaxing long weekend!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Anazon Prime is amazing. We've had it for almost 5 years now. BEST THING EVER.

Loving - makeup staying spray

Grateful - working heat

Wishing - for a beach, margarita and a book!

San said...

I think Amazon Prime is a worthwile investement... you do not only get the movies and TV series, but also the 2-day shipping on almost anything you order. You can't beat that. :)

I am glad you like Veep. J and I enjoyed the show as well!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I did the Amazon 30 day trial for Christmas, and it was nice. However, I don't use the movie portion of it and I generally buy more than 35 dollars worth of stuff at a time, so I get free shipping anyway, so I decided not to go forward with the membership. However, I think if you do need the 2 day shipping and you use the TV portion, it is a good deal!

I can't believe your trip to Mexico is coming up so soon! It seems like you just mentioned that you were thinking of going! I think this year is going to go by fast.

I hope your should-less day went well. I had an accidental should-less weekend this weekend, as I strained my back or something and could barely walk, and even sitting or lying was hard! I had all of these plans... I was supposed to go both days with two different sets of friends and then I had so many things to do around the house. Instead I ended up laying around reading and sleeping and watching TV! It was nice to a certain extent but I felt like a flakey, lazy lump!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

I'm totally with you on the "purging" stuff desire. I am so sick of junk, and clutter, and have been getting rid of A LOT. We are also not buying anything (other than consumables/experiences), which has been so freeing.

Loving - How the year is starting out; I've had a lot of fun in January already!
Grateful For - The really nice weather we've had this Winter
Watching - The Bachelor (great trash TV!)