The End of Christmas...Final Four...Newest Grisham Novel and The Whale

 

Beautiful fresh snowfall this week, and John and I finally were able to enjoy a bit of Christmas together!

We exchanged gifts...had Chinese...snuggled and played with the Sofi-Cat...and made plans for our Superbowl/Valentines Getaway...

And now Christmas is OFFICIALLY over.

...after stretching on for almost another month...with he and Diane and my sisters...

Yeah...the tree is getting undecked today...as well as the halls.

Looking forward to FOOTBALL tomorrow!

 And now there are 4.

The Niners

The Eagles

The Chiefs.

The Bengals

It's going to be an amazing playoff Sunday!

And although Kansas is technically "My Team" I will be pretty happy with any of the combinations possible for the SB, this year.

They're all outstanding!

Started the latest John Grisham offering 

and only eight chapters in so far.

...if you are a Grisham Fan, you already know that this is barely enough for him to have developed the setting and started acquainting us with the characters...review when I'm finished...

Thusfar, very engaging.

Finally got to see The Whale

Damn.

If you only see one film this year...make sure it is this one!

And bring tissues.

This is a masterpiece.

One of Fraser's best roles and Oscar-worthy.

Ditto with Hong Chau as his caretaker.

Sade Sink is amazing and credible as his angry as hell estranged daughter...and her character is thoroughly unlikable.

The prosthetics to transform him to a 650+ man...no CGI here...is incredible.

Frankly, I did not expected to see much more than a shapeless sweatshirt...and when they did shirtless transfer scenes it made me gasp.

The makeup artists responsible for his transformation should receive awards, too.

Such reality.

The binge scenes were extremely hard to watch...as were the scenes of his badly emotionally damaged daughter lashing out at him as he tried to reconnect with her.

This deserves any and all awards it is given.

Definitely a 10. 

Now to get my Cinderella Day started here...dishes...laundry...dusting...surfaces...et al...so tomorrow can be all about relaxing...football and food!

Have a Great Weekend!

Love,

Carla

Sunday Updates:

 So...here we are...on the edge of game time.

Decided to get Taco Bell's Game Box delivered...omg...a Burrito Supreme...2 hard-shell tacos...a Mexican pizza...a bag of cinnamon and sugar Churros...and a Pepsi that is large enough to bathe in!!!!

I'm set. 

More as it comes...

And then there were two...and it will be an Eagles/Chiefs Superbowl!!!!!

Goodnight!

Fresh Snowfall...Bills/Bengals Game Today...and Homemade Chili

 

and the antibiotic has worked its magic and I'm back to feeling good!

Woke yesterday to my sense of smell being back...and after a week of being sick and fevers and sweats...even the Sofi-Cat was like

"Damn, gurl...it's time for a bath!!!"

Washed the bed clothing and dirty clothes...and have a good start on the house. Soaked in a hot bubble bath and washed my filthy hair...and feeling a bit more human today.

Last weekend was the Wild Card matches and now the playoffs have begun.

Monday, Brady and the Buccaneers were eliminated by The Cowboys.

Yesterday, John and I watched the Jaguars get eliminated by Kansas...GO CHIEFS!!!!

...even if they did rough Mahomes up a bit...

Last night, the Eagles eliminated the Giants.

 ...The Eagles are a force to be reckoned with this year...

And today..amidst snow and chili we have The Bills -vs- The Bengals...which should be an amazing game.

Does it get any better than that???

So...anyway...soon to dish up spicy chili (as opposed to the crackers and Sprite I have subsisted on all week) and watch Burrows and Allen duke it out.

Whoever remains standing will be the team Kansas will have to play (beat) next weekend.  

Quietly...or maybe not so quietly...I am rooting for The Bills.

...we never seem to do well against The Bengals...

and I am hoping that Mahomes leg injuries have resolved by then.

Off to watch the game.

 

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Love,

Carla and The Sofi-Cat

 

The Bengals beat the Bills 27-10 and are on their way to KC next weekend....

Another Monday Holiday....The Eventual End of Christmas...Wild Card Weekend & The Playoffs...Battling a Bug

 

Yeah...it's a lot like THIS.

Had the final Christmas Brunch last week with Diane and soon to undeck the halls and scrub the carpets again for the New Year.

We brunched on Lasagna and salad...and exchanged gifts and Sofi even graced her with kitty attention! 

Making 4 people now that she (Sofi) likes.

Diane is doing well with dialysis, and has lost almost 50 pounds now.

She was having a good day when we had our brunch and it was nice to see her feeling good again.

Today is another Everything-is-Closed-Monday with the MLK Holiday.

 Actually, it is fine, as I am doing battle with an upper respiratory infection...including a nasty sinus infection which has me pretty much beat up...on antibiotics...fairly grouchy and miserable...and just watching football during the hours I'm not hot with fever or chilling...coughing or blowing my nose.

TMI?

Hoping it resolves quickly.

Wild Card Weekend has been exciting...with The Ravens...The Chargers...The Dolphins...The Sea-hawks and The Vikings all out now.

Tonight the Buccaneers play the Cowboys in a one and done.

John is getting his second immunotherapy infusion today. He has been doing well with minimal side effects. Mostly fatigue and muscle pain...maybe a bit more brain-fog...but basically good.  The last doctor visit was encouraging and I believe we are kicking cancer's ass. 

Only 10 more infusions to go!!!

Lost Dan (my friend Kara's husband) to a return of his cancer this week.

He was 59 and had been in and out of remission 3 times.

 

Fucking Cancer.

 

Have a Great Week...

 Love,

Carla and The Sofi-Cat

Virtual South America: Tijuana Mexico

 

Hola!  And here we go...

This is one place in Mexico I have been...I'm starting with Tijuana. Not that it exemplifies the country...but because of the stark touristy areas contrasted with the abject poverty (also here)

Crossing the Border 

You can drive in...or cross on the bridge on foot (preferable)

Your must have an entry permit issued by Mexico as well as a US Passport or card. Your will need these both ways.

Gone are the days of just carrying your birth certificate.

 Crossing in your car.

Tijuana

https://youtu.be/kdn26d51IcQ

Suddenly you are thrust into something that seems like a different world...and it just might be. This little fellow that bids you to come be photographed with him is called a Zonkey...and is basically a donkey that has been spray painted.

There is a carnival or bazaar market feel to this tourist town south of the border. Not the real Mexico...nor the rich Mexico...and abject poverty lies only an hour or so away in the desert...but Tijuana is certainly a fun way to spend a day.

And you don't have to be wealthy to do it.

The street vendors here sell a bit of everything...from delicious churros

Light as air and ready to be dipped in a cup of melted chocolate...to hand-worked silver and turquoise jewelry

for a fraction of what you would pay in The States.

Later we will learn to make the churros at home...and maybe even find a bit of the authentic jewelry on eBay!

It can be an assault on the senses.  The sights...the sounds..the smells of unfamiliar food wafting...bidding you to come try.
 

Most of the best food not within the confines of restaurant walls...but served up from the multitude of carts street-side in paper cones, on cardboard plates or paper towels.

The whole water thing is real...so remember to drink bottled.

You have been warned.

Or try a Jarritos  (pronouced harritos)

https://youtu.be/ud8UlV0E9y8

Authentic Mexican Soda available in several flavors...all containing real sugar!

The Coca-Cola here also contains real sugar and tastes vastly superior to the corn syrup we drink.

One of the BEST marketplaces is El Popo Market

https://youtu.be/MeSu7hcUaJY

 and green-space is Morelos Park.

https://youtu.be/qhBZuPT8Z9c

And the poverty I was talking about.

https://youtu.be/H9TsfJBmLow

Where entire families live in packing crate homes covered with tarps...with a average annual income of less than 500 USD.

It is an affront to see and impossible to imagine.

We will continue our virtual travels in Mexico soon!

Coming up: Cabos

 

Tijuana at Night

 

2023 Virtual Adventure: South America (Overview)

 

And not a moment too soon.

I have had enough rice and Dan Noodle dishes to last a lifetime...claustrophobic crowds and even the Buddha Statues were becoming like castles through Europe, where they are known as ABC...another bloody castle.

These were ADB (another damned Buddha).

Anyway...this year we will trek through all that South and Central America has to offer.

There are 17 countries involved and we will visit some, but not all, of them:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

We will sample recipes and dishes...learn some Spanish...and see/try many things along the way.

Come along and enjoy the adventure with us.

We will begin in Mexico!

 

The First Week...Football Miracle...A Three Branch Government and More

 The first week is in the books...with 51 to go.

The weather has been everywhere...from bitterly cold and snow...to rain and mid-sixty degrees with thunderstorms and even some sunshine.

Yes...kind of weird.

This week also saw a true miracle when Damar Hamlin (Safety for the Bills) was playing the Bengals...made a tackle...then collapsed on the field and had cardiac arrest.

 They worked him for almost 10 minutes...finally restored his heartbeat...ambulanced him to a nearby hospital where he arrested again and was revived a second time.

 

 Stayed in a medically induced coma for nearly a week on a vent.

But is now awake...breathing on his own...alert and has lost none of his neurological functions...and his first question was

Who Won The Game???

...the doctors replied...

YOU

Another near-miracle this week is that after all the chaos and unrest in The House...and after 15 roll calls...we finally have three branches of government again.

and Kevin McCarthy has his gavel.

 The faces through 15 votes and 4 days of trying to achieve this...

 And the moment when you realize you've finally done it...

To be completely fair...204 Republicans WANTED him to be SOTH...and 20 agents of chaos within his own party held out and forced this thing into the circus it became.

Of course they were the usual group of clowns.

Gaetz, Boebert, Biggs, Gosar, and 16 others.

Gaetz even went as far as to tell him on the floor of the House he would never ever ever be SOTH...and if he did make it that he (Gaetz) would promptly resign.

...a promise I sincerely hope he keeps...

I dislike Kevin.

I think he will be, at best, an ineffectual SOTH.

Of course, I would have preferred Jeffries...but it was not to be.

Is this the end of the world and life as we know it?

NO.

They can not pass any extreme legislation...the Senate would make sure it is DOA...and worst case the President would veto it.

All they can spend the next two years doing is gumming up the works and showing the 2024 voters exactly WHO they are.

It should seal the deal for us in 2024.

Let's hope.

If ANYONE deserved the gavel it should have gone to this woman...

 Who had to read the roll call names a total of 6,540 times.

Woke to hot cocoa and frost on everything...soon to Cinderella the house...get some lunch...and settle in for the Kansas-Raiders game later with John.

Enjoy Your Weekend.

Love,

Carla and the Sofi-Cat

New Year's Day 2023

 

Sipping tea and enjoying rice with sugar and butter.

                         2022 must be over...the cheese and crackers are gone.

Getting ready to watch The Chiefs play the Broncos at 1PM.

John will be watching The Colts game and at half-time we will compare notes.

Enjoying the peacefulness and quiet of the New Year.

My word for 2023

                                                   ...gratitude...

 Not only that 2022 is over...but for all that is good and right with my life. It's easy to be dissatisfied, mumble, grumble, bitch and complain. It is much harder, yet more satisfying, to acknowledge what is right with your life...that there is always enough and whatever is happening..it is going to be okay.

                                        It is always going to be okay.

Goals this year include:

PT and OT at least 3x a week to maintain/regain skills.

Getting back on the 4:3 because for maybe 3 years I have

                                              ...yeah...kind of like that....

Stop Procrastinating.

Connect/reconnect with all (or most of my grands) following last year's divorce and family explosion...it is not their fault and it is not fair to keep them from each other...or people who love them. Even if this takes until they grow up. And they will grow up.

Getting back to using the library regularly.

Virtually explore South America.

Maintain the house and myself better this year...because last year was dismal.

That is about it. 

Life is Good.

Now back to the first football game of the New Year!

Happy New Year!

love,

Carla and Sofi-Cat