Flow (HBO) - I've heard about this movie for months and the second I heard it was coming to HBO I added a reminder to my phone to check it out. It deserves all the hype because it is such a beautiful film about the friends we meet along the way. There were some anxiety inducing scenes but overall this little bud went with the flow. Just a heads up there is absolutely no talking in this movie, even amongst the animals and it still was engrossing to watch. Like foreign movies with subtitles it really makes you put down your phone and pay attention the whole way through.
The Wild Robot (Peacock) - Roz, an intelligent robot is shipwrecked on an uninhibited island. This movie got me in a way I haven't been got in a long time. I was full on ugly crying toward the end. Was it the whole found family element? Most likely. The scene where the opossum talks about her litter had be dying (pun totally intended).
GOT TATTOOED during a fun little Valentine's Day flash event at The Mermaid's Muse. Katie and I took off early on a Wednesday, grabbed Parlor Donuts, and then went down the road for our appointment. The shop was all set up for the Galentine's Flash event with refreshments. There was also a canvas set up on an easel so that everyone could collaborate on an art piece together. I'm so curious how it ended up turning out.
Katie went first with the dragonfly tattoo on her shoulder and a Darlin' candy heart on her arm. I, too, was getting the dragonfly but was having a hard time with placement. I originally wanted to put it on my arm but since it is more fine lined Kaylee didn't think it would be as cohesive. Then I thought my upper thigh but it didn't feel right either. Then bam it hit me, she's got to go on the front of my ankle. The minute I suggested it both Kaylee and Katie were like "YUP!". Sometimes you're dead set on placement in advance and other times you just got to pivot when it doesn't feel right. I ended up with the cutest little dragonfly (as did Katie and everyone else who might have gotten one!). I originally wanted my first tattoo to be a dragonfly but I didn't like any of the options I could find back in 2003 so I went with a butterfly per was required for all millennials. I love that I finally got my dragonfly all these years later. A full circle kind of moment.
READ the third in the Empyrean series, Onyx Storm. No spoilers below, I promise!
I fell deep into the Fourth Wing world and then had to wait over a year for the third book to be released. Of course it came out when I was sick so I didn't even start it until a week after. It was such a slog to get through. It felt like a filler book. This series could've easily been wrapped up in a third book but since there is a 5 book arc already planned we got this book. I'm hoping I'll appreciate it once the series is complete but it's not likely.
DOING MY BEST to find joy in all of this shit. I wake up and am bombarded by horrific news event ever single day. I try and treadmill-it-up at the gym and I am met with several TV screens showing that gross orange face. Between rights being taken away, planes going down, and everything in between it is EXHAUSTING as fuck to be a empathetic human being at the moment. But it's all I know so I continue on, with maybe even more naps than before, in order to rest my tired soul.
But the joy is there. It's in a double date hockey game. It's being chauffeured around Lake Eola on a giant swan. It's a Moo Deng hair clip. It's a new tattoo. It's trying new foods with old friends. It's long distance phone calls with one of my favorite people. It's getting a text of a photo of my cousin's dog acting like a cat. It's being able to truly help someone at work. It's sending snail mail because I love it and I love who I'm sending it to. It's a market with friends. It's when I roll over in the middle of the night and feel two cats curled up next to me. It's when I'm really feeling myself in the outfit I chose for the day. It's a funny meme in my DMs. It's a fresh haircut. It's singing along to a song on my way home. It's a Girl Scout cookie. It's just having done my skincare routine, teeth brushed, retainer locked and loaded, while I snuggle into bed.
Marie had been in my life since I was born. She's been in my mom/aunt/uncle's lives since 1955 (they were one, three, & five), which means she's been in their lives as far as they can remember. She was hired to help look after them and help with housework. From the stories I've heard, she quickly became a part of the family and ever since then she couldn't get rid of us.
In the 1980s, she was still helping my grandparents and would pick me up twice a week and bring me to my grandma's house while my parents worked. I will miss hearing her tell the stories of those days, but I'm grateful I was able to capture a few on video. I remember riding in the back of her big 70s something car. The backseat always felt so spacious, but maybe it was because I was still so little. She and my grandma would make me cream of wheat often, which I still love to this day. Every time I see that red box I think of them both. When I was still pretty little, maybe 4, she taught me how to make eggs in the microwave. She was always teaching and helping me become autonomous (even more so than I already was given I was an only child and later a latchkey kid). I still eat and prefer my eggs cooked that way. As I grew up I spent a lot of time at Marie's house when my mom needed a babysitter or over at my grandparent's house with her. I fondly remember us watching the tiny kitchen TV during lunches while the latest Young and the Restless played on the screen. Her commentary was always so funny. "What is Victor Newman up to now?!"
She was the one who told me she was with my grandmother the morning she died in 2002. They had been sitting at the kitchen table opening mail when my grandma opened the Mother's Day card I sent her. Marie sharing that little detail with me still means the world to me. I think about it every May. She continued to work for my grandpa for another decade or so until finally enjoying some well-deserved retirement. After her husband died, she lived alone in their house for many years, and it wasn't until fairly recently, she moved back up to Georgia to be cared for by her family.
She was something real special to my family. But she was just special in general. I'll miss the way she said "mmhmm" when agreeing with someone. It sounded like a hum and felt like a hug.
Most people are lucky to have two grandmothers but I'm the luckiest because I had three.
A week before I had planned to fly to Dallas to visit Erin I woke up feeling like death. I had a fever and every muscle in my body was sore. I went to Urgent Care where they told me I was negative for Flu. I had taken a covid test prior to my visit which was also negative. They said all my symptoms were flu-like so gave me tamiflu and sent me on my way. That was a Thursday. I spent the entire weekend with the worst body aches, a fever that wouldn't quit (I'd sweat it out only for it to come back again hours later), one night of intense nausea, and the worst headache of my life. I couldn't sleep or watch TV or fart around on my phone. I could only lay in bed in the dark with my eyes closed. When Monday morning rolled around I was hellbent on either getting into my PCP or heading to the ER. Thankfully my doctor's office was able to get me in that morning. Dustin had to drive me because I was in no shape to take myself. I had barely eaten anything so on top of all the shitty symptoms I was so damn weak. I had barely been upright for 5 days. It was bed to toilet and repeat. I think one day I had 25 steps on my Apple Watch. My doctor gave me some meds for a sinus infection. Between that and the NyQuil I started feeling better within 24 hours. Every morning I'd wake up and warn Erin that I was still not feeling good and there was a high percentage I wouldn't be able to come. I hoped it would work out but I was bracing for the worst. After an entire week of misery, I went back to work on Thursday which meant I was feeling well enough to be out in the world and well enough to travel at the crack of dawn the following day.
My flight left at 7am which meant I was at that airport at 5am. MCO was packed. PACKED. The already long security line was moving extra slow because they forced us to walk in pairs, one at a time, while a police dog circled us. Then the next pair could go, and so on. I felt like I was in the weirdest wedding processional. By the time I made it to my gate, the plane was already boarding which was both great and anxiety inducing since I didn't have a minute to just collect myself. It all worked out and I boarded the plane. The minute I sat down I had to get up again to let the window seat guy through. He was dressed up in a full suit but not in a stuffy way. He had long hair and was wearing a beanie ala Jason Mewes in Clerks. He said to me "Hopefully no one sits in the middle seat and we can both have extra room." I gave him the fingers crossed sign with my hand. Just as we thought we were going to get away with an empty seat another guy motions to his middle seat. As the plane started to leave the gate and the flight attendants started closing all the overhead bins window seat got my attention to tell me the entire row in front of us was empty. My eyes widened and I did something my rule following self would normally never do and I moved up a seat. Before so I tapped the guy next to me on the shoulder and told him he could move over so now all three of us had room. The flight attendant gave me a hard time in a fun way but of course I immediately felt shame for breaking the rules. But come to find out middle seat wanted to sit next to his boyfriend who was on the other side of the whole row. So I told him I'll move back into my original seat and he and his boyfriend can move to the row in front of us. Boom, everyone is happy and everyone was so fucking cordial which is kind of unheard of on planes these days. I spent the entire flight reading. As we started our descent I put my kindle away and window seat started asking me about my book. I joked that I had to finish it before the library took it back. He was amazed that you could get digital books via the library. So then I went on a whole spiel about the Libby app. and how people shouldn't sleep on the library! Then he started telling me about how he and his mom had just seen the new Robbie Williams movie, Better Man, where he is portrayed by a CGI monkey. He said it was weirdly much better than you'd expect and because of this recommendation I will be watching it as soon as it is available on streaming. I also found out he was in a suit because he was on his way to his dad's 4th wedding. Ha! I just quipped back to him that I don't have to worry about that kind of thing since I don't talk to my dad. We told one another to have good trips and I flew off that plane as soon as it was my turn. As I stepped outside into the cold air I texted Erin my location. She came Tokyo-drifting around the corner not even a few minutes later. After everything, I made it!
We went out to this cute breakfast spot called Poached and shared some pancakes and an egg scramble. It was delish! There was so much we both had enough to eat the following morning - and we sure as hell did. We went to Erin's new house that she just moved into in December. I had of course seen it on FaceTime but it was still fun to be inside of it in person. First order of business was to give the birthday girl all of her gifts that kind of got squished but made it fine in my luggage. I got her the same huggie hoop earrings I asked for for Christmas because she had mentioned how much she loved them. Ha! I also got her this gorgeous Taylor Swift lyric print from one of her favorite songs - Sweet Nothings.
This is when I also met her insane dog Winnie. Ok, insane is harsh. She's just a puppy and I'm an old curmudgeon, which is why puppies have never worked out over at the Maffioli residence. But Winnie was into EVERYTHING - the toilet paper (I learned to close the bathroom door if she was on that side of the gate), chewing on my sweater (I learned to put it high and back), walking all over our gallery wall brainstorming sesh (Erin gave her a bone to occupy her for 2 seconds).
We tweaked the gallery wall formation until it was perfect but we were missing a frame for one and a matte border in another so off to the HobLob we went. We stopped by the Velvet Taco for lunch which was good even if the name of the establishment sounds like a vaginal disease. HobLob was a whole ass adventure with the framing department attendant being so scatterbrained. Erin and I kept looking at one another so confused. At first it was going to take until the following day but then she said she would have it ready within 10 minutes (turned into like an hour but no big deal). We did a little Ulta haul which was also adventure thanks to Ulta corporate making it as difficult as possible to just get your damn free birthday gift. Even the store manager was over it and said it's been a nightmare lately so she just let Erin have her gift without all the app. sign in and email sign up and blah blah blah.
Once back at Erin's house we hung the shit out of that gallery wall (proof in the time lapse video below) and it turned out even better than either of us had imagined. It was such an honor that the print I just gifted her made the cut. I would hold each item and Erin would mark the spot and hammer in the nails. It started to get too damn hot so we both took our sweaters off and what do you know, we were wearing the exact same long sleeve white t-shirt from Target. Just like old times when we used to match like we were the Olsen Twins. We just kept marveling at our work of art. Professional gallery wall duo booking now open!
We spent the rest of the evening eating BBQ chicken Detroit-style pizza from Killapie and watching a movie. Unfortunately I chose a very depressing movie, We Live In Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. I mean I love me some depressing shit but I don't think it was what either of us thought it would be. Still a great film though! Peach laid on me for a good chunk of it! It's like being home when I'm with my boo but even more so when my little foster girl Peach is snuggling up.
After we ate our leftover breakfast and got ready for our day Erin took me to my first Dutch Bros. experience where she ran into their tip jar with her side mirror. I couldn't stop laughing. What a boo move.
Dutch Bros. just started popping up in Orlando but I had yet to go, now I'm super pumped to have the option close by. Texas always gets everything first. Erin introduced me to Five Below, Buc-Eees, Fuzzy's, and now Dutch Bros. all before they were in Florida.
I was shocked to see the Punk Carter glow up because Dustin and I still have an inside joke about how insane that road was last time we both were out in Texas. It was just dirt, bumps, and pot holes last time around. It felt like our brains were just jiggling inside our skulls driving on it. But he is smooth as butter now. I was so excited to tell Dustin. It's the dumb little things.
From there we made our way into Dallas, the Bishop Arts District to be exact. Erin had never been so I was excited to experience it with her. We walked the cute streets and shops all while Erin complained how cold she was. She admitted she still doesn't know how to dress for cold weather. I was wearing a beanie, a long sleeve shirt, a sweater shirt, jeans, and boots and was perfectly comfortable. Honestly, I was relishing the cool weather. And the shop cats. And all the cute lil shops. I got so many gifts for people for upcoming events so really it was very productive.
We headed back to Erin's for a much needed nap. We both decided on a time to wake up, set our alarms, and headed in opposite directions to slumber. Like me, my girl loves a nap so our schedules always align pretty well. Plus, we didn't have her birthday dinner reservation until 9:15 p.m. That's my bed time not my dinner time. She isn't a late eater, it's just the best she could do with such a fancy schmancy place. We of course had to pre-game snack with Girl Scout cookies and cuties. Then it was time to get ready. I am typically very quick and easy when it comes to getting ready for anything and this time was no different. Hair took 5 min, makeup took 5 min, got dressed and bing bang boom done. But Erin and her friend Jessica were still doing their thing so I sat in her big ass bath tub fully clothed and serenaded her with Chappell Roan's Hot To Go. I found it so hilarious we all were wearing similar versions of the exact same outfit. Then we had to cement these looks in time with a million photos. We were on the road at 8 p.m. because it takes almost an hour to get back down to Dallas so we could enjoy Drake's Hollywood. We didn't get seated until after 9:30 p.m. but the girls enjoyed drinks at the bar to kill time. We also hit up the ladies room to pee and take more photos. Once seated we ordered the second the server stopped talking. We shared a delicious steak, Mac-n-cheese, and a shrimp appetizer and the biggest piece of strawberry cake ever to exist. It was all delicious! DEE-LISH-USS. We got back to Erin's around midnight where we all collapsed from our late night.
Erin took me to the airport bright and early Sunday morning on her actual 39th birthday. I can't remember the last time I got to be with her for her birthday celebrations and coming this time around made me realize we need to make this happen way more often. But lucky for me she is coming to Florida for my birthday in June. Only 4 months to go!
