Thursday, December 31, 2020

Make it happen, cap'n

Today I have an early release from work at 3pm, and you really have no idea how excited that makes me.

Excited So GIF - Excited So Yes GIFs

It's not even that big of deal, but it's the little things sometimes, y'know.  It's being able to wear jeans on Fridays (although at my new office, it's only the first Friday of every month. blah. 😒). But again, it's better than nothing.

On top of my early release AND having tomorrow off for the kickass start of 2021, I am also teleworking today!!!! It's the perfect kind of day to be teleworking, too.  It's super cold, and it's been raining non-stop.  I feel sorry for all those mad foolz who had mad plans to shoot off some fireworks tonight because I'm pretty sure they won't be able to get them lit with all this rain.  Rest assured, mad foolz - all your fun shalln't be spoiled as the rain does not prevent you yourselves from getting lit!

Speaking of getting lit, Nathan and I crazily decided to kick off our "Let's get healthy in 2021!" on Monday, so we're 4 days in and have promised ourselves (and each other) that we're going to make.it.happen. this year!  To facilitate this, we've issued dollar amounts that we will either earn for every day of making.it.happen (i.e. sticking to allotted calorie amounts) OR we will have to forgo the moneymoneymoney to a cause or a person we wouldn't ever dream of contributing funds to (i.e. The Proud Boys, Mitch McConnell, Trump, etc.)

Pretty brutal, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I was thinking about my post yesterday on my recent read, and I think I really left off a lot more that I wanted to say about the book, particularly how strong I found Lisa Brennan-Jobs to be at times and also how much it seemed she used her unique past and childhood to learn and grow into the person she is now.  It reminded me of the girl who wrote Educated (Tara Westover).  I don't know that had I experienced some of the things that these women endured, I would have come out in the way that they did:  a New York Times Bestselling author. :)  Kidding, but really...I feel really strong sometimes or proud of the way I come out after facing trials and adversities over these past 33 years, but other times I'm like "just give me the EFFING dessert, and let me donate all my money to stoopid Trump."

On an unrelated note, I had a dream that involved Nathan and me hanging out with my bestie T-Swift and her guy pal Joe, and I'm now convinced this was a premonition.  This could be because I've been streaming Evermore and also Folklore like a mad woman (😉) very, very softly with headphones while I work for the past 3 days.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Small Fry, Big Thoughts

Two nights ago, I finished reading Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs.  I've had it on my TBR list (as the cool kids say...I'd just as well call it my "reading list" because we all know that nothing on the reading list is still waiting to be read if it's on there since it would then be moved to the "read" list. nonetheless, TBR list is kind of cheesy to me, but I've been trying to be cool since about 1996, so there's no since in stopping now.)** for a while ever since my sister-in-law mentioned it months, maybe a year or so, ago.

Source

As is the case sometimes with books, at least for me, it got pushed further and further down the list over time.  Then a few weeks ago, I finished a book one night and was an eager beaver ready to start a new one.  I requested a few from Libby (my lady-love library app), and I downloaded Small Fry and something else at the same time.  I ended up reading the other one.  Sorry, Lis.  However, one day when I was knee deep in the other book, I accidentally clicked on Lis' work and read the first few lines, which went something like "Three months before my father passed away, I began stealing things from his house."

and I was like "OoooOOOoooh, girl! No you didn't!"

So then I was re-excited about reading it, and so I did.

For starters, bless dear Nathan for lending an ear to my rants almost every evening after reading a portion before going to bed.  I'd heard things over the years indicating that Steve Jobs (who shall henceforth be called "Steve" since that's what Lisa called him, and it's kind of ingrained in me now.) was maybe not really the nicest to people he'd either worked with, who worked for him, he'd encountered through the years, etc.  But I'd never really heard anything concrete to tie this notion down.  I'd just heard it generally and figured it must be true and also that you probably don't become a billionaire by being a really nice person. That is, unless you're Willy Wonka.

But oh my goodness, I had no idea what I was in for.  Between the manipulation and the physical and financial AND emotional withholding, and moodiness, and at times just being off-the-wall CRAY in his actions and words (e.g. asking your teenage daughter if she masturbates. Hello! Not really appropriate, Steve!), I don't think I'll ever think about Steve the same.

I should say, I know there are always at least two sides to every story, and this memoir was written by Lisa, and it was published after Steve's death so there isn't a whole lot of arguing he can do regarding the way he was painted in this book, but I also don't feel like this was an expose to get rich on her part.  I think, sure, she probably knew she could sell a few copies because people would be intrigued to read about Steve from an insider's perspective, a daughter he blatantly lied about fathering for many years, but there is just so much of a common thread in his actions and words throughout the book that it would be just too hard to make it all up.

I also know that there are times throughout my life where my dad disappointed me (and I'm sure I did the same to him. Maybe.  I was his angel child, so it doesn't compare to what my heathen brothers did. hah!), but as a whole, I love him and I'm so grateful for all that he did for me, and I'm also grateful that I didn't have Steve growing up.

Enough about crazy Steve.

The book was good, a four out of five stars on the Courtney Richter*** scale...whatever the hell that is.  I feel like I had more to say, but my time is running out, and I've got to keep some stuff for my memoir. 😉

Only 1 more day of 2020, folks!


**you're so welcome for that.

***If there's a Courtney Richter out there and you ever come across this blog after googling yourself, please DM or IM or something-M me. :)

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

T-minus 2 days 'til 2021

Apparently, Blogger decided to change up it's draft-posting interface while I took a little hiatus, so this is new. You can't see what I'm seeing right now, that is unless you're peeping over my shoulder during my lunch break at work, and if that's the case, kudos to you good sir for your invisibility and your ability to bypass the courthouse marshals, that is...unless you work here, and in that case Darren! Turn off your invisibility powers, and go back to your desk! 

Oh 2020 - just a mere 2 and 1/2 more days of your tomfoolery and then so long forever to your crazy self! What a year! Can I just say that again? Okay. thanks. What a year! 

We sent out Christmas cards with photos this year. I always thought this would be something we'd never do until we had cute little cherubs' faces to grace the card, but this year is what it is. Also, I'm narcissistic and I thought "Everyone's had a rough year. Maybe they'll smile at getting a card from us where we're dancing and laughing, and their holidays will be merry and bright!" Not really. But we did make it weird in typical Nathourtney fashion in taking a jab at the usual photo cards. AND and we included a puzzle for curious minds to solve.
(I redacted our last name from the card.  I swear we know how to center text correctly.)

So far only 3 people (out of almost 50) have solved it. I don't credit our mad puzzle-making skills for this, but more so that 40-something people saw the front of the card, thought "I don't get it. These people are weird," and then turned the card over to discover some ancient hieroglyphics strung across the bottom and proceeded to toss said card in the trash. 

Well, you know what I say to those 40-something people...


Okay, I've got a confession. *cue Usher* When I just typed out "hieroglyphics," I was convinced I spelled it incorrectly, but I didn't get the little red squiggly underneath it.  So I thought this new interface doesn't spell check.  Then I found an arrow and clicked on it, and switched from HTML view to Compose view, and now Blogger looks normal!  Hooray!  

Also, apparently I know how to spell "hieroglyphics" correctly because I checked Google, AND I don't have a squiggle. But I did misspell "invisibility" up there, so there's that.

Do you think 2021 will be like switching Blogger back to Compose view after a harrowing year of HTML view?  I sure do hope so.

I know I can't complain much.  I've got a man who loves me, a cat who loves me relies on me for food every day, a nice place to lay my head at night in a city I've dreamed for a few years of living in, a job that pays, and a heart that beats regularly, for which I am oh so grateful for.

but

man, this year's been a toughie.

I've had the urge to write more these past few days/weeks, so maybe you'll get a few more ramblings from me here and there, but that's it for now.  I'd like to write more, but it's back to the grind, and I fear that if I leave this unpublished 'til later, later might not come for who knows how long.  And then I'd have to go back up there and change the number of days that it's been after 2021 started and it'll all just be a big ole mess.