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Hello. Remember me? It's been a while since we last spoke. I didn't mean to vanish from the internet. I simply became too overwhelmed to function. I'm sure you understand. You probably didn't notice I was gone, but that's okay because this is a narcissism post! We all get to suffer though hearing about my life. I see the excitement shining in your eyes.
Also, Thanksgiving is coming. Let's be positivity queens and discuss what we're thankful for.
🍗 I'm Thankful For . . . 🦃
1. I'm thankful for Halloween
I somehow failed to take a photo of Brooklyn in her costume. This oversight is made more humiliating by the fact that I took several photos of a random man riding a motorcycle while wearing a Patrick costume. Just pretend this is Brooklyn. They grow up so fast.
2. I'm thankful for the ambulance people
All of my finals are happening during the first 10 days of December. I am stress.
3. I'm thankful I'm nearly free
I might be spending my last day cleaning up trash and dog poop in the park. I'm not mad. There are worse jobs. (I'm looking at you, ambulances.)
4. I'm thankful for Advil
I didn't realize that shoulders are so important. It's hard to use my arm because my shoulder is stuck and barely moves. I can't sleep because I keep accidentally rolling on the painful bits. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to move my neck. It hurts to sit in a chair and type.
I don't know. This bitch better heal herself quickly because we lost our health insurance. I'm not about to pull out a credit card to fix this nonsense. Save me, Advil! I'm relying on you.
5. I'm thankful for everyone who will help me survive the reign of Mango Mussolini
I feel like Trump gives people permission to be the worst versions of themselves, which is a problem when you work with the public. I (mostly) enjoy my park job because parks are good for my community. I'm going to EMT school because health care is good for my community. I donate stuff to schools and food banks because they're good for my community.
Unfortunately, my community is disappointing. They're vocal about their hatred of "the left," immigrants, transgender people, poor people, teachers, scientists, and anyone who is skeptical about their preferred flavor of Christianity.
Sometimes I have a pity party and wonder why I'm giving so much to people who hate me. It feels like I'm allowing myself to be used.
Then I refocus and get back to work. We have problems to solve.
6. I'm thankful for books
I did finish War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I've been reading it slowly since the beginning of the year. Maybe I read it too slowly? Or maybe I'm not in the right headspace. I found it extremely tedious. I felt every one of those 1,296 pages.
7. I'm thankful for Pinterest and affiliate links
Affiliate links haven't fixed the situation, but they do make it slightly less stressful. I don't remember how much I've talked about affiliate links. Basically, if you click the links on this blog and buy something, then I earn a commission. The things you buy are not more expensive for you. I just make a few pennies from the sale. Literally, it's pennies per sale.
Those pennies have saved me multiple times. I'm extremely grateful to anyone who uses my links or re-pins my pins on Pinterest. (Most of this blog's traffic comes from Pinterest.) You'll never understand how much you've helped me.
8. I'm thankful for future plans
9. I'm thankful for you
Where are the book bloggers hanging out nowadays? Threads? Bluesky? I'm not on either of those, but I'll try anything once. Tell me what you're using so I can follow you.
What are you thankful for?
I noticed you were gone! I have been checking your blog daily for new posts, but I also understood that you've been super busy with school and everything else! I hope after finals that you get a bit of downtime for the holidays. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteIt’s nice to hear from you again. I was wondering what was going on with you, but I didn’t want to seem intrusive and wasn’t quite sure where the boundaries are with other TTT bloggers.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with finals! So sorry to hear about who your next president will be. :(
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-thankful-thanksgiving-freebie/
Welcome back, I did miss you!
ReplyDeleteGood luck for your finals!
Here is my post: https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/11/26/my-top-10-books-for-scifimonth-thanksgiving/
Welcome back! Great post to make a comeback on!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! I've been so bad at blogging this year and I really do miss it so I need to figure something out in the New Year. I think I just get burnt out on computer time when I'm using them all day at work. I'm glad EMT school is almost over - that's awesome! I hope you can read lots of fun things over Winter break. :)
ReplyDeleteLauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
Good luck with your exams! Your shoulder issue sounds like my (frozen shoulder/rotator cuff tendinitis). You can do exercises to get mobility back (tons on the web though I paid $400 for PT). I still have pain though. You may want to get it checked that it's not a tear (I am hopeful it is not). Good luck starting a new blog!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! This is a great comeback post :) I too am thankful for books 💜
ReplyDeleteSorry about your shoulder 😣 It might be easier to rebrand this blog than start a new one? Or do you want to leave Blogger? ~Carol @ ReadingLadies
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should start over on WordPress? It's easier for traffic and not that hard to juggle. However, bookblogs are becoming more and more niche, many people don't want to read long posts anymore. They just want shortform content on social media.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2024/11/26/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-cant-believe-i-havent-read/
I'm using Facebook. I'm still noticeably accompanied by librarians and some midlife bloggers, but not so much book bloggers. I hope that the time off gives you time to heal and recover.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to blogging! Sounds like you have had a very interesting time since you've been gone. I'm sorry about your shoulder. I had frozen shoulder for several years and it was miserable. Nothing really helped it feel better. Then, it just went away on its own. So strange. And *sigh*, the election results are so very disappointing. I don't even know what to say about it...ugh.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness we have books to help calm us and let us escape from the pain and ugliness of life.
Happy TTT!
I'm not even in the States, and I'm dismayed with the election results. A few people at work try to get me to talk about them but I refuse saying I need to keep my blood pressure in check. As for your shoulder, try Aleve instead of Advil and heat to help loosen the muscles. Even a good hot shower helps. Feel better soon!
DeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/bookish-gift-ideas-from-etsy-sellers/
I enjoy your posts, because yes, you might be whining, but you infuse humor as well (whether you mean to or not!). Plus, you are saying what others are thinking. I am so sorry about your shoulder, hopefully it feels better soon. There is not enough dramamine in the world to get me working in the back of an ambulance! I think you should have had access to the patches or better drugs for that! I hope your finals go well and you are able to enjoy reading again. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteMy son wants to be a paramedic (he's 16 atm), he's been set on it for years but it honestly sounds like such a difficult and in many cases, thankless job. They're subject to a lot of hostile behaviour here sometimes from the people they're trying to help.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! I can identify with a few things on your list, particularly books and being grateful for ambulances, since I've had my life saved by EMTs more than once. I hope you have a really enjoyable break from work, and get to read some books for fun soon. I've struggled with shoulder problems, and the most important thing is to stretch it so I don't develop frozen shoulder again. They're awful to deal with, and I hope you get better soon!
ReplyDeleteI admit, it is hard to be thankful after the elections, but I'm thankful that my state re-elected Tim Kaine as Senator. I hope you make it through finals and your shoulder heals. Paramedics are wonderful people, as I have seen many times when I was a volunteer firefighter. As for reading, my # of books are way down this year thanks to having read Augustine's "The City of God." Instead of counting it as one book, I should count it as 22 books (after all, it's divided into 22 books of 50+ pages each). I haven't read "War and Peace," as my main Russian novelist has been Dostoevsky :) Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI noticed you were gone, and I'm glad you're back! I'm so sorry about your stress -- and your shoulder. Sounds like bursitis to me. You will need to keep moving and stretching it gently so you don't end up with a frozen shoulder. I would recommend PT, but without health insurance, that can be pretty expensive. You can probably find YouTube videos to coach you through it, though. Just make sure they are from someone who is a licensed physical therapist.
ReplyDeleteI am beyond grateful for EMTs and ambulances. I have SVT*, which has resulted in the need to call 911 a number of times over the last 25 years. All the EMTs I've dealt with have been unfailingly kind and reassuring, and I'm so thankful for their care and expertise. I know that if you are called upon to act as an EMT in the park or elsewhere, you will do a great job. * (Or hopefully, had. I had an ablation a couple of weeks ago, which we hope has fixed it for good.)
As for the election results, I think a lot of us are anxious and grieving. I know it's hard to be surrounded by Trump's supporters; my husband and I are in a very red county. (Or at least it seems so, although I was pleasantly surprised to see a few Harris-Walz signs around before the election.) I think the Trump supporters may be in for a bit of a shock when they begin to see the impact of his policies on their pocketbooks and their day-to-day lives. I hope that we can all pull together through the tough times that may be ahead.
Park rangers sounds like a fun but hard work, enjoy your vacations
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! It sounds like you have a lot going on.
ReplyDeleteRemember to be kind yourself!
I definitely noticed your absence and am glad to have read this post and gotten caught up on things. Wow you've got a lot going on (and a lot that you don't seem to love. Are you thinking about that? I don't know you well enough to say this, perhaps, but I do care).
ReplyDeleteYou sound like you have frozen shoulder. I've had it. 3 times. It's horrible. Physical therapy helps as does reducing stress. I hope that after this weekend you can start to relax, read for pleasure, enjoy more sleep and time with family and friends.
I did miss you and every time I added my link to ttt, i would do a 'aj' search.. hope things get better soon for you. and so glad we have the ttt community to get us through what is to come ..
ReplyDeleteI did something (I don't know what) in yoga class a few years ago, and I had frozen shoulder. I looked it up on the internet (I don't like to go to doctors), and it was suggested that I try yoga to relieve the symptoms. Hmmm. I continued to do yoga, and it cleared up in about a year. (I don't know if this story is helpful, but it is true.)
ReplyDeleteYou beautifully expressed exactly how I feel about the world now. I am surrounded by people who are in love with an awful and stupid person, and, apparently, these people are also awful and stupid. Nevertheless, I love them. Perplexing.
Substack seems to be a place that several people have gone to post. I am staying here, on Blogger, awaiting The End which feels like it is only months away.
Wow, you have been very busy. I wish you luck on your finals. I am Canadian, but I am also very confused on how those results happened. I hope everything doesn't fall apart. I agree, he has given people permission to be terrible to others. So sad. Hang in there my US friends.
ReplyDeleteYour life sounds like a bit of a roller coaster ride at the moment. I hope your shoulder sorts itself out. Every time I hear about how much healthcare costs in the USA I am grateful for the NHS here in the UK.
ReplyDeleteJamie (jannghi.blogpsot.com): I agree with the Mango Mussolini nickname. I'm not looking forward the next four years. It feels like we are stepping back in time :(
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! I definitely understand feeling overwhelmed, especially when you live such a busy life. I never thought to be thankful for Advil or medication in general, but now that you've mentioned it, they are things to be thankful for :)
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to visit, here's my TTT: https://thebooklorefairy.blogspot.com/2024/11/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-am-glad-i-read.html
Hello, glad to see you! Good luck on the finals, you got this! Also I am so sorry about your injury, and the insurance issue. As for the Orange Problem, these people are going to realize how foolish they were VERY quickly- it just sucks that we're going down with them. Sigh. I hope for better days ahead for us all but... who even knows. Glad work is over for now for you though! (Also HOW the heck do you make money!?! I literally have made $10 in 11 years of throwing links in posts, what am I doing wrong!?)
ReplyDeleteHi AJ! I am happy to know that you are still there! Holly Molly that seems some rough months there! And how come you lost your health insurance? With everything so expensive in the US I hope you get it back soon. And about Trump I am surprised as I thought Colorado voted Harris??
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're almost done with both work and EMT school! Hope school ended up being worth it in the end? Now that you've discovered you hate ambulances what will your next step be? (Do some EMTs not work in ambulances? My ignorance is showing!)
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction