Main Events:
My family typically doesn’t gather for Thanksgiving – everyone splits up to their own pursuits. After a busy October, I announced I was tired and wanted to celebrate quietly at home with Taylor and his family. We had Thanksgiving at his brother’s house, and my parents ended up coming too, instead of going to Miami like they had planned. In the evening, we hung out at home with one of Taylor’s childhood friends who was in town. It was nice!
Taylor’s birthday fell the week of Thanksgiving, which made it tough to get people together. But we celebrated by going to the most exciting Tiger basketball game in years, and having lunch with his family and my parents. As the elder in our relationship, I always feel a little relieved when his birthday comes. ;)
Reading:
My favorite book this month was Paperback Crush, a retrospective and commentary on teen book series of the 80s and 90s. I was so excited to read it, I bought it full price! My only complaint was that it wasn’t twice as long. I also read Garden Spells, a Practical Magic-esque novel that had been on my TBR list for several years; The Nester’s new book, Cozy Minimalist Home; and dystopian short story collection Friday Black, which was as depressing as it was relevant and well-written. I read it in less than a day, partly because I couldn’t put it down, and partly because it put me in a legit bad mood that I wanted to get behind me. How’s that for a mixed review?
Listening:
Hanson released the String Theory album this month, and I’m obsessed. One day I listened to “No Rest for the Weary” about ten times. PS, I’m about to start finalizing my 2018 soundtrack!
Watching:
We saw Bohemian Rhapsody, which I really enjoyed. I discovered afterward that we saw it on the anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death!
I finished Season 2 of The Good Place and am excited to get up to date on the current season. LOVE. Also, it took me a couple of days to watch this week’s This Is Us fall finale, but I’m joining everyone in threatening the writers if they break up Beth and Randall. BETH AND RANDALL ARE GOALS.
Around Town:
My sister and her fam visited for a weekend! We went to the zoo, because that’s what my family does when children come to town. One night Debra, Lance, Taylor, and I went to dinner in the neighborhood and then to an escape room downtown. I basically contributed nothing to the escape room, but think I would do better next time. Anyway, my sister and I had never had a double date before, mostly due to our oppositional long epochs of singleness, so it was special.
Every year I want to participate in Downtown Dining Week and then forget, so I was thankful my friend James took initiative to make a reservation for our friend group at McEwen’s. I hadn’t been there in years and it was delicious.
November was the start of Tiger basketball season and the end of Tiger football season! The beginning of The Penny Era is up and down, but I’m just enjoying the ups and not worrying about the downs. This is a rebuilding year in which we are ACTUALLY REBUILDING. Meanwhile, we attended a very cold football game, and a Black Friday football game in which we clinched our conference division! Now we play UCF Saturday for the AAC championship. UCF, if you haven’t heard, is ona two-year winning streak but remains shut out of national championship contention because we’re not a Power 5 conference. Most of the country wants us to win this game just to “prove” UCF doesn’t deserve to be part of the conversation. It’s a weird position to be in.
At Home:
I refreshed my wall of indoor plants, moving some struggling ones to my cube at work, replacing them with fancier plants, and putting new indoor-formulated soil in every pot. Outside, I suddenly realized my year-and-a-half-old camellias no longer needed their supports! They’re getting ready to bloom, too. Winter bloomers are so inspiring.
Cooking/Eating:
My contributions to Thanksgiving dinner were roasted broccoli, cranberry sauce (first time I’ve made some instead of eating the canned stuff), and a pumpkin dump cake. But my favorite thing was the cheesy potato casserole Taylor’s SIL made.
Soup is one of the few upsides of cooler weather for me. This Trader Joe’s Autumn Harvest soup is one of the best I’ve ever had from a jar. In snack news, these snack packs have started an obsession with nuts/cheese/dried fruit combos.
Wearing:
There’s no denying it – I bought a lot of clothes in November. Just as I was about to give up officially on Stitch Fix, they sent me a flattering, comfortable peacoat/short trench that I put on right out of the box and have barely taken off since. I really liked four of the five items, making it my best Fix ever. However, I only kept the coat and a sweater dress. I tried to exchange a pair of skinny corduroys, but the size I needed wasn’t available.
Meanwhile, a new development in my tumultuous relationship with pants: Old Navy’s Pixie style is exactly what I’ve been looking for for work… at a much lower price than others I’ve tried. I bought one black pair and have two other colors on the way. I also got several pairs of leggings (including faux leather ones which now appear to be sold out), and two pairs of joggers, which I’ve needed for casual friends’-house or errand situations when I’m tempted to break my own rules and wear leggings as pants. If you too need any of these items, go earn that Super Cash. (I have received NO compensation from Old Navy, but they’re welcome to pay me in more pants.)
Beauty:
Usually Sephora is too rich for my blood, but after seeing a bunch of sale hauls and recommendations, I splurged on two highly rated items: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème and the Laniege Lip Sleeping Mask. I’m starting to notice improvement in my under eye area, but so far the lip mask, while nice, feels no better than the $1 Carmex I’ve applied constantly since I was fourteen. *shrug emoji*
I placed my first Colourpop order after Shan Shortcake posted a stunning New Year’s Eve-worthy look with the Bretman Rock Wet Palette. I’m also trying their foundation – my usual L’Oréal Infallible isn’t covering as well as it used to. Check back for updates!
Random Happiness:
I’ve been soaking up fall foliage everywhere I go, especially in the park.
On November 14, we got a dusting of snow! I looked it up and apparently the last November snow was just a few years ago, but it’s definitely not a regular occurrence.
Wellness:
My favorite 5K, the True Blue on the U of M campus, returned this month after a couple years’ hiatus. I did fine and felt good considering it was my longest run since April. I’ve logged a few other short runs to prep for the St. Jude 10K this weekend. I still feel a little weird about not running the half this year, but I know this break from halfs is the right decision.
I’m not ready to talk a lot about it, but this week I started getting up at 5 am and going to the gym before work, instead of at night. Considering my lifelong aversion to mornings, you know my current routine really isn’t working if I’m trying this. I think I need to keep it up for at least a month before coming to any conclusions. I’m not optimistic that this change will result in any weight loss – I’m doing it primarily for time management and related mental health reasons. So far, I’m just tired.
Also, I started doing longer yoga videos again and it feels great. Any yoga is better than no yoga, but 15-20 minute sessions aren’t enough as a regular thing. It takes some unhurried time and space to truly settle into the practice and get all the benefits. (I think prayer is like that too. I could actually talk a lot about how yoga has impacted my faith, but that’s for another time.)
Your Monthly Rufus:
Rufus had an exciting month visiting Taylor’s and helping me with Black Friday shopping. He also rediscovered his favorite cat bed. I had to search for him a few times and always found him in the bed.
On The Blog:
Per my tradition, I participated in the annual One Day, spearheaded by Laura Tremaine of 10 Things to Tell You and the Smartest Person in the Room podcast.
Good Reads:
♥ Kelsey Miller at A Cup of Jo: What Happened When I Started Intuitive Eating
♥ Tonia Peckover: Hara Hachi Bu
♥ Beth Watkins at Scraping Raisins: Three Reasons to Shop Ethically … and Four Reasons Not To
♥ Garance at Atelier Doré: The Next Chapter
♥ Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian: The American civil war didn’t end. And Trump is a Confederate president.
♥ Dan Elias at Purpose Fairy: 6 Steps to Heal Your Relationship with Time
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