#SoCS ~ 12/31/22

The swan song of 2022’s #SoCS festivities 🥳 has arrived. I, for one, am ready to turn over a new leaf. Let’s get going. Linda writes & I copy paste. Timpani drum 🥁 roll puhleese.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “new/knew.’” Use one, use both, use them any way you like. Bonus points if you use both. Enjoy!

One down one to go another town and one more show … my life in song 🎶 lyrics. I ♥️ my life. Yes! But that’s the band too … Yes 🙌 Leave It. Great song 🎧 I haven’t heard in a while.

Okay think, think, & think 🧐.

I used new already in my intro. As in turning over a new leaf 🍁 and not as a resolution I’ll never keep but as in it’s about damn time to get my sH!t together. More of my life in song 🎵 lyrics, this time Lizzo.

I’m a mess who uses music, movies 🎥 , TV 📺 shows, & books 📚 to escape or otherwise deal with my queen 👸🏻 comma drama 🎭 emotions 😭. But of course you knew that about me already. I’ll do almost anything for BONUS points.

Cheers 🥂 if you imbibe or cheers 🎉 if you don’t. Hoping 2023 puts the last 3 years to shame. Damn you 2020 & your 2 wicked companions 2021 & 2022. Peace ✌️ Be well. Until next time.

HERE are the rules and ping back.

As always more to come.

Friday Storytelling ~ 12/30/22

The plan was to read 4 books 📚 in 4 days but I’m savoring the last one. I’m waiting to be fully done before I write reviews. These are hardback library books for old times sake. I’ve graduated to Kindle but I’m skipping ahead in queue since the library books are express collection, no holds or renewals. I’ll be back to Kindle in the New Year. Absent book reviews, here’s a story instead.

It was a dark and stormy night !!

Oh good grief. Let’s start this again.

The doorbell startled her out of her reverie As she peeked through the glass in the front door, she saw two women huddled together. The night was bitter cold & sleeting, why would they brave the elements to be here?

She cracked open the door with a tentative “how may I help you?”

“I’m Barbara, I made my daughter bring me here. It’s about your brother, Paul.”

End scene 🎬 That really happened & the she is me a full five years before the terrible circumstances involving my brother were exposed. If only I had listened. Or maybe better I didn’t listen at the time because what was supposed to happen is what ultimately happened even with intermingled tragedy.

Until next time.

As always more to come

P.S. Totally unrelated. I’m drinking my one cup of coffee a day only on weekends with my Invisalign trays in! Who cares if the trays get stained. Least of my worries 😳 I get new trays each Tuesday anyways.

Thursday Thoughts ~ 12/29/22

As I was tooling around Wally World getting my weekly groceries & the groceries for my in-laws, I had an idea for this post. I didn’t want to forget the premise so I did a talk to text in my notes app. I’m reading those notes now. Oy vey. Heads or tails Jilly. Even my reminders are stream of consciousness but I am in good company with the likes of Bob Saget, dare I say. May he Rest in Peace. His book Dirty Daddy: The Chronicles of a Family Man Turned Filthy Comedian was very insightful yet sad because he wrote it with the future in mind but he is sadly gone too soon. More on that later.

Lulu takes our list, I take my in-laws’ list then we divide & conquer. We went to the store Monday since we were off work & our usual weekend excursion would have been on X-Mas Eve or Christmas Day therefore out of the question. We braced for crowds but there wasn’t any. Nary a soul braved the wild on Boxing Day but to be fair this was at the b’crack of dawn, grocery shopping not department store shopping though both Wally & the Gucci B have both. The former is a big box retailer while the latter is very Alamo Heights niche.

We did the Gucci B first since the items there did not need to be kept cold. On his list, PoPo put two bottles of Korbel, champagne, Brut, NS = no substitutions (he carries this abbreviation over from our curbside days). He also wanted orange juice to go along for mimosas & deluxe mixed nuts also NS! I got a bit misty looking at his list since the usual old people type items were on there too. He was planning ahead for NYE baby or New Year’s Day as the case may be.

Well I looked for the champagne at the Gucci B thinking they might not even have it with the hoity toity niche selections. But when I spied two bottles of course grabbed them. Then at Wally World I looked & wouldn’t you know it, the same damn product for $8 less a bottle. WTF?!?!

I was raised by two depression era parents & this was no bargain, I overpaid by $16 plus tax. Overpaying for something is the sin of all sins. My mind automatically started calculating what I could have bought for them with that $16 plus tax. I must admit my heart skipped a beat but I was not about to return the more expensive bottles for what was in front of me. Sometimes ‘time’ fits into the cost calculation. Then later on in the day I looked at Total Wine & More online which had Korbel Brut at an additional $2 less per bottle than the cheaper ones for a total of $20 plus tax off the original paid price. Ugh, why did I even look?

I’ve noticed some rollbacks on the cost of our frequently purchased items which means maybe the tide is turning. Or not & I’m simply wishful thinking. Going into my extreme coupon mode now. Bring it 2023, we’ll be ready. Challenge accepted.

As always, more to come.

#1linerWeds. 12/28/22

Not to poke fun at anyone else but I feel Linda’s one liner today. She hit the bull’s eye for me with one exception, I AM broken. Kinda, sorta, maybe? My ‘out of order’ sign has been on for far too long. Time to correct that I think.

Without further ado, here’s something from my commonplace book.

Joking has also been a means for me to avoid pain

Bob Saget, from Dirty Daddy The Chronicles of a Family Man Turned Filthy Comedian

Yep, my 4 books in 4 days goal is turning out to be more like 4 books in 5 maybe 6 days unless I ‘one more page’ myself to completion tonight! That’s right, ‘one more page’ has become a verb in Jillster’s dictionary. Move over Webster, I’m coming after ya! Nope, I’m not doing that. Too much work.

HERE are the rules & pingback.

As always, more to come.

Share Your World ~ 12/27/22

We made it to the end of 2022’s last #SYW of the year. Special thanks to Di for keeping this weekly post going. Melanie’s memory lives on. HERE are the rules & pingback. Now I toss in my two cents worth 1/2 a penny. Inflation is doing its thing ya know.

1.   If you have been given a variety of gifts, do you have a clear out of older stuff to make room for it? That would be negatory good buddy. That’s CB talk. Ten four & braker, braker, one nine. Seriously, we haven’t exchanged Christmas gifts in many moons except for getting a very little something for our children. Ever since the 2006 unfortunate event, we haven’t been too keen on material possessions. The bests gifts I have ever gotten are intangible & absolutely free.

2.  Do you overindulge with food for special occasions and then come to regret it with either weight gain, guilt or severe indigestion? Not anymore. Hard to believe I could even say that because the Jilly before had issues with food like I was afraid I’d go hungry or something. I ate just to eat & usually to excess. Presently I’m on the Invisalign diet. At least that’s what I call it. I have to keep my trays in 22 hours a day so when I do take them out, I am very particular about what I eat. Now all that said, food is still for special occasions & I don’t restrict myself. Instead moderation in everything, including moderation says a coaster I saved from the Esquire Tavern, the oldest bar on the San Antonio Riverwalk. I’ve had birthday desserts times 2 (Lulu & me are December babies) plus ice cream & Christmas cookies. This along with Blackened oysters fondue as our Christmas tradition dictates. I no longer double or triple the recipe. One batch is more than enough for four people.

3.  What is your favourite part for any celebration? The laughter & conversation. We’ve had some doozies over the years & keeping a sense of humor sure comes in handy for our celebratory shindigs.

4.   Are you looking forward to getting bargains in the January Sales? I’m a year round bargain hunter & might write more about that later in the week. I noticed today at the grocery store lots of things were 1/2 price but Lu & I still stuck to our list. One gentleman in front of us bought out the stuffed unicorns from the toy aisle. He was taking them to the flea market on Saturday. That happens a lot around these parts, maybe it happens in your neck of the woods too? No harm no foul I guess. At least they’re brand new.

Gratitude: I’ve finally got my head on straight. How long it will stay that way remains to be seen but self care for the win even if temporary.

As always, more to come.

haiku – done & tire ~ 12/26/22

Forgive my poetic license while I briefly deviate from the task at hand for a memory. This picture is the first thing I thought of when I saw the prompt words, done & tire. Funny that this picture was taken by my Lulu on 12/26/17. Happy 5th anniversary to us! I have multiple versions of me & this Woman and Sheep installation on the grounds of the McNay. Some pictures show the sheep while others like this one does not. Yet this is the photo I pick to show y’all. No glasses Jilly is rare these days, if you look closely you will see they are in my hand.

Woman and Sheep Artist: Kiki Smith, American, born 1954
Year Installed
2009

she’s done with anger

forgiveness soothing her soul

bone weary prostrates

Done used ‘as is’ and tire replaced by prostrate which means to lie down in submission or adoration. This is me shouting “I GIVE UP!” to the mofos. How’s that for contrast my Pony Boy?!? lol I can hear his deep baritone voice “mom it’s not a haiku without the juxtaposition”.

I think that one word … prostrate captures the essence. Thanks to Ronovan for always providing the thesaurus links. I became acquainted again with the word prostrate today. This logophile is happy. About as happy as I was on that day in 2017 when I lied down on the grass at the McNay with Woman and Sheep.

Written for Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 442 DONE and Tire.

#SLS ~ 12/25/22

I do feel lucky punk. Ha-ha! Thanks Jim for hosting. HERE are the rules & pingback. Nothing say punk like the Ramones. Blitzkrieg Bop. Songwriters: Dee Dee Ramone / Joey Ramone / Johnny Ramone / Tommy Ramone. Check out THIS article on the meaning behind the song.

Lyrics

Hey ho, let’s go! Hey ho, let’s go!
Hey ho, let’s go! Hey ho, let’s go!

They’re forming in straight line
They’re going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The blitzkrieg bop

They’re piling in the back seat
They’re generating steam heat
Pulsating to the back beat
The blitzkrieg bop

Hey ho, let’s go
Shoot ’em in the back now
What they want, I don’t know
They’re all revved up and ready to go

They’re forming in straight line
They’re going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The blitzkrieg bop

They’re piling in the back seat
They’re generating steam heat
Pulsating to the back beat
The blitzkrieg bop

Hey ho, let’s go
Shoot ’em in the back now
What they want, I don’t know
They’re all revved up and ready to go

They’re forming in straight line
They’re going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The blitzkrieg bop

They’re piling in the back seat
They’re generating steam heat
Pulsating to the back beat
The blitzkrieg bop

Hey ho, let’s go! Hey ho, let’s go!
Hey ho, let’s go! Hey ho, let’s go!

Sunday Reflections: Pre Christmas Week in Review ~ 12/25/22

What a week my friends. Emotional, sentimental, bittersweet all rolled into one. Today being Sunday the start of a new week is why this reflection post is titled pre-Christmas. Kind of Christmas adjacent but prolonging the agony or the joy. Flip a coin & you decide. See that is where all our power lies, in our choice to react in certain ways. I’m in control dammit of some things even this small thing. Someone remember to wake me up on 1/2/23 🙂 I’m going back to bed … to read, my goal 4 books in 4 days. But first the roll call.

• 12/24/22 – #SoCS
• 12/23/22 – Free For All
• 12/22/22 – Thoughts
• 12/21/22 – #1linerWeds.
• 12/20/22 – #SYW
• 12/19/22 – haiku
• 12/18/22 – #SLS

Peace y’all. Until next time. Stay safe.

As always, more to come.

#SoCS ~ 12/24/22

Time for #SoCS, second to the last of 2022. How does that happen?!? Something about the rotation of the earth 🌍 or the moon 🌙 & tides maybe 🤔? No time to stop & confirm. I be streaming. Linda tells us Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “cozy.’” Use it any way you like. Have fun!

Hmm 🧐 how about a haiku? Prepare to be awed and amazed. Or get the eye roll 🙄 ready 😂.

Cuddles on the couch

Snug as a bug in a rug

Stress replaced by zen

I’ve got quite the collection of blankets, hoodies, & fuzzy socks to keep me cozy during our brief cold 🥶 snap. If the weather forecasters are right, we’ll be back to the 70s by next Thursday. Now that’s balmy not cozy. But I’ll take it.

To join us in the merriment, HERE are the rules and ping back.

As always more to come.

Friday Free For All ~ 12/23/22

Lulu & I made an early morning run for specialty doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnut who just opened a new store in downtown SA. People have taken bets that the store will close in less than a year. Not because of the product mind you which appears to be a booming business amid all the other pastry palaces. The reason is every prior business on that corner has gone the way of the dino. Location, location, location …

The paid & general lack of parking will keep locals away but maybe the out of town crowd foot traffic will sustain them. Our method was to order online, go early on a holiday week, me act like a taxi on the N Presa side street, flashers on while Lulu did a mad dash. We were there @ 30 minutes ahead of our order but they don’t package until 20 minutes til for optimum freshness. They had to do some computer stuff to move the order ahead but all in all, we made good time. Then we took the long way home to see the beautiful holiday lights along the Riverwalk.

Speaking of holidays, they suck. Well not for everyone but for enough of us. I read something online suggesting to wish people a gentle holiday instead of happy or joyful one. Too much pressure & toxic positivity aka denial that these days may not be happy at all. What better way to commemorate the reason for the season than through gentleness & grace. My skip level boss replied that my wish to him for a gentle holiday had to be the nicest thing anyone ever said to him. Awww and that response made my day!

I was tearing about on my b-day about the light metaphorical fuses to blow things up. I stopped myself thank goodness. “Fuck ’em” I say instead. They are not going to ruin my peace. The mofo’s don’t even realize they’re being awful anyway. And if they do realize & are purposefully being bad humans, well then I don’t want a relationship with them anyway. Alrighty, I have to get to work. Tschüss until tomorrow.

As always, more to come.