Just January things.
It’s almost the end of January and what a month it’s been. We started 2026 with a New Year’s Eve sleepover at our friends’ house followed by a group brunch. Very different from our traditional trip to see the FL family but this last holiday season we spent Christmas in FL rather than our typical New Year’s. Honestly I would not mind doing that again as a new tradition! Ringing in the new year with most of our best friends in CT was really nice. My 34th birthday came and went, but that was a fun week too. We went to Boston (well, Everett) for my company’s annual yearly kickoff which was a genuinely good time and I got to meet some of my team. Working from home is great most of the time but getting to socialize with my coworkers for a change was definitely something I’d do again. Kickoff was on a Wednesday and my birthday was that Friday so I took the rest of the week off and explored a tiny bit of Boston for some of that time. We went to the Prudential Center and saw some of the most expensive stores. It was a cool experience though. Made a mental note to come back to Boston proper someday soon. There’s also a bunch of high end restaurants recommended by my team so definitely worth the 2.5 hour drive. Maybe a weekend stay in an AirBnB or something.
We’ve mostly been low key since then, but my friends and Hubby did surprise me with a go-karting excursion the week after my birthday. That was really fun and sweet, and my friend supplied me with chocolate cake AND brownies. Yes, I did have cake for breakfast afterward. Tonight was another change of pace after the snow storm we got this past weekend (I’ve literally never seen so much snow in my life). There’s this restaurant in town doing Girl Dinner Wednesdays so one of my friends invited me and I made new friends tonight as well! Most of us had Caesar salads and fries. Very girl dinner. chef’s kiss
Looking forward to tax time because I am a boring adult who has some new toys lined up from our pending tax return. Hubby went ahead and bought me a KitchenAid for my birthday and I’m planning to buy an electric fireplace and a vacuum cleaner when the check clears. Oh, to be 34.
We’ve been deeply into “Star Trek: Voyager” since before the holidays and our evening routine has been to clock out, have dinner, then watch an episode or two. I can confidently and proudly state that I am a Trekkie, which, if you know me, isn’t that surprising. Honestly, with all the things going on in the world right now, retreating to science fiction has been very comforting. I also started watching LotR: the extended editions and while I haven’t finished the first movie yet, I have been enjoying myself. TV-wise I’ve also started watching this miniseries called “Class of ‘09”, which has been riveting. I’m weird about TV— I don’t like to sit and watch for too long since I watched so much TV and film growing up. We also watched “The Roses” which was funny and endearing as expected. (It snowed a LOT this weekend so we spent some quality time on the couch and in front of the heater.)
Looking forward to a few other things coming up, like rejoining Hubby in the gym and planning more salads. I think I’m turning into a rabbit. Oh, well.
Other things of note: Peppercorn is growing well, and we expect that he’ll be a big boy. I can’t believe my tiny baby is now seven months old and is just about Isis’s size. He’s so very gentle even to this day, yet an avid hunter. He pounces on you with his gentle paws while his pupils are the size of dinner plates.
All four kitties have been sleeping in the bedroom where it’s nice and warm. I relish the nights and the early mornings when I’m just awake enough to catch him sneaking up to bed to sleep on me. Yuki has been sleeping between us. Katie Cat has her little “apartment” on the couch and Isis sleeps with Hubby every night without fail.
I’ve been working in the bedroom too, mostly because I don’t find my office to be particularly inviting or comfortable even though I have my own thermostat in there. I’m mostly too cozy in bed these days. Hubby had an absolutely brilliant idea to buy a third TV mount, articulating so I can have access to a second monitor while still working on the bed. I can’t wait to try it out.
Anyway, laundry calls.