This year is almost over?

How did we get here so fast?

a shrimp burrito bowl from Taco Mell’s.on Crenshaw

We are on the cusp of a new year, and I still can’t wrap my head around the idea of it.

2024 seemed to fly by in a blur. So many things have happened, and I have lived a million lifetimes in these 12 months.

Our world has changed. The U.S. government has done everything imaginable (and unimaginable, if I’m being real) to unmask and reveal its true self: a criminal enterprise run by the lowest of the low, and yes, your fave is included in that bunch.

The American experiment is failing spectacularly, and as we all plummet through space into the gaping void that climate change and inequitable distribution of wealth have thrust us into, all we can do is hold on to our hats and pray for the best – all the while knowing it’s going to get much worse.

But whatever. I didn’t set out to write something that would have you doomscrolling down the page to get to the end.

I set out to say that ever since Katt Williams opened that portal all those years months ago in January, nothing has been the same, bitch.

I would say I want him to close it back up, but nah. Let this mother fucker burn. I got matches.

So I’m spending these next few days reflecting on what 2024 looked like for me and how I want to make 2025 different, and I’m proud of myself because I have been acting on a lot of the changes I want to see.

My therapist is proud of me too, and she told me so again on Friday.

I have a few tricks up my sleeve, some announcements to make, and projects I want to get off the ground, and day by day, I’m getting there – already.

More on all that later, though.

Happy Gotcha!versary!

my little furbaby

I have to note my Gotcha!versary

December 16 was the fifth anniversary of me letting this little booger trick me into bringing her home.

I'm going through memories from that first week and remembering all the sweetness of my little stinker.

We don't rescue dogs; they rescue us. I know for sure Lady rescued me. She is the most loving little cuddle bug, and all she wants to do is be up under her mama.

I love her so much. She is the most spoiled brat in the world, and I don't even care.

Does she beg for everything I put in my mouth? Absolutely. Does it get on my nerves? Definitely. Do I still feed her (safe) table food anyway? You fucking right.

I would catch a case behind this dog, and I've come pretty close to it a few times (once when a guy threatened to "kick her into the street" and another time at the dog park when some Karen couldn't handle her fucking dog and wanted to go after mine instead -- baby, I will beat your ass and take your dog.)

Lady don't play about her mama either. All 9 pounds of her will come barreling at you, teeth bared, ears perked up, ready for fucking action.

We are a matched pair. Sometimes we fuss and argue with each other, but at the end of the day, we are sidekicks to each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I know she won't live forever, but I hope she lives a long time and we get many more laughs and happy memories together.

I love her to the moon and back an infinite number of times.

I’m back on my daily avocado toast again

avocado toast and coffee aka the breakfast of champions

Y’all know me and avocado toast go together real bad. I hadn’t been making it for a while because I was eating other things for breakfast, but recently I wanted that old feeling back, so I bought my favorite sourdough bread, and some avocados, and based on a recommendation from my sister, I bought the Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese to go along with it. I’m all about adding protein to my avocado toast where I can, and this seemed like a splendid way to achieve that.

On the first day, I spread the cheese on the bread first, then mashed the avocado on top of it. I added everything bagel seasoning on top (because that’s my jam), and I enjoyed that with a cup of the instant Cafe Bustelo (which has changed my life, let me tell you). That breakfast brought me so much joy.

Later in the week, I decided to try another experiment. I boiled two eggs, mashed up a whole avocado, tossed in some of the same Boursin, and put all of that in a bowl and mixed it up into a spread. I toasted my sourdough hard AF, and spread my egg-avocado-cheese mixture over both pieces.

avocado toast with boiled egg and Boursin cheesed mashed together

Girl. I was so satisfied (which is not the same thing as full, and that’s an important distinction), and I didn’t need to eat anything else until hours later when it was time for dinner.

New breakfast unlocked.

I also can’t say enough about that instant Cafe Bustelo either. If you know me, you know I am a true espresso girlie, and that instant espresso comes out perfectly every morning. No brewing, no messing with a French press, no long line at a coffee shop.

Right in my kitchen, I scoop two heaping spoonfuls (the big spoons, not the little ones) into my coffee mug, add boiling water, and voila! Magic!

The bottle recommends a teaspoon I think, but that’s for people who aren’t coffee addicts like I am. I sometimes add three spoonfuls (I did today, in fact) if I’m feeling froggy.

I have that with a splash or two of the Oatly Sweet & Creamy creamer, and just like the name says, it adds just the right amount of sweet (I don’t like it too sweet) and the right amount of cream (I don’t like my coffee light-skinned) to make my morning coffee just right.

This is what I’m on right now.

Fighting a cold

As I write this, I’m sitting here drinking a mug of hot water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed in it and some honey. I’ve already taken Mucinex, and I’m going to turn in soon because I have been fighting a horrible cold for most of the week. I’ve coughed so much, I’m sure somewhere under this pudge is a six-pack waiting to show itself to the world. It’s sore when I laugh, and I’m not exaggerating.

hot water with lemon and honey

It’s weird because I mask up everywhere, and I can only guess it came from me sleeping with the window cracked open (your girl gets hot in her sleep even when it’s cold) and cool air blowing on my neck or something. My first hint that something was wrong was waking up with a completely sore throat. It progressed from there.

I’m happy to say I’m on the mend. I feel better today than I have all week, and I even managed to get a lot of things done (including writing this post so please fucking clap), so I’d say that’s a win.

I have more stuff I want to talk about, but I’m drawing a blank.

It’s time to do my skincare routine, brush my teeth, hit a joint (yes, even though I’m still coughing, so mind your business), and watch these new episodes of Virgin River that I wasn’t aware were available right now.

Oh!

Can I tell y’all that my television consumption and doom-scrolling have gone way down in the last month? I’ve been doing a lot more reading (currently reading What Alice Forgot, but it’s dragging, and I may move on soon if it doesn’t pick up) and spending more time outdoors.

I haven’t missed TV at all, to be honest. It makes me wonder if I really need to keep all these streaming subscriptions I have because there is no way I can watch everything, and maybe it’s time I became a bit more selective of what I consume in that regard. I don’t have to watch everything.

There’s something to be said about being more conscious about what I’m consuming and how I spend my time each day, but I’m not about to write all that out right now.

Suffice it to say that despite the cold, my life is very good right now, and I’m happy.

I hope you are too.

this homemade yogurt parfait was delicious!