Tuesday, January 3, 2017

The Current

(An occasional meme, alternating from time to time with "Right Now.")

Current Book(s) -- I have three books currently half-finished -- and I just realized that two of them were (still) half-finished when I wrote my "Right Now" post of Nov. 20th (erk). I did do some reading over the Christmas holidays, but clearly, it was other stuff. ;) The two holdovers from November are "Canada" by Mike Myers; and "Mr. Churchill's Secretary" by Susan Elia MacNeil, a mystery set during WWII.  Also "The Four Swans," by Winston Graham (book 6 in the Poldark series).  And of course, a cast of thousands waiting in the wings...!

Current Playlist -- I don't have any digital music on my phone, and mostly listen to our local classic rock station on the radio. The most recent music I was playing on the stereo were some Christmas CDs, pre-vacation. I have a fairly sizeable collection of Christmas CDs (plus a few cassettes...!) that I've collected over the years. Two recent picks: I love to put on "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by Vince Guaraldi when I'm putting up the Christmas tree, and we also enjoy Blue Rodeo's Christmas album, which came out a year or two ago.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure -- "Helping" dh finish off the container of Lindor milk chocolate balls that Mrs. Santa put in his stocking. ;) Also finishing off the chocolate chip panettone that BIL & SIL gave us. Dh doesn't like panettone, so I've been eating most of it. (It's a tough job but someone has to do it, right??) ;)

Current Color -- Lots of burgundys & greys.

Current Drink -- Starbucks tea lattes (tall non-fat Royal English Breakfast). Would you believe I didn't indulge in one of their holiday drinks this year??

Current Food -- Dh has a sore throat, so lots of his favourite bean, chickpea & lentil soups this week.

Current Favorite Show -- The new season of "Sherlock" began last Sunday night on PBS Masterpiece -- yay!! Only three episodes :( but in this case, quality vs quantity. ;) "Victoria" also starts this month on PBS Masterpiece -- looks interesting. 

Current Wishlist -- More space in our storage locker -- because I'm not sure how the Christmas tree is going to fit in there, once we take it down (we got rid of the old one when we moved and bought a new one this Christmas, so we will need to make room for it). :p I think it WILL fit, but not without some reorganizing (or some grumbling from dh...!). :p

Current Needs -- I can't think of too much that I desperately need at the moment. We're probably going to go back to the furniture outlet where we got our other furniture earlier last year and get two new end tables & possibly a coffee table to match the other stuff (we're still using the tables we bought when we were first married -- = 31 years old, & kind of scratched up). I want a coffee table again, but dh is pulling for an ottoman instead.

Current Triumphs -- SIL & I had discussed going out for dinner on New Year's Eve (with our husbands, obviously, lol)... but we didn't get around to doing anything much about it until the day before. I decided to take things in hand, and made a reservation for the four of us at a local chain restaurant that was offering a special prix-fixe NYE menu. (By then, the only available time slots were before 6 or after 8, but that was OK with us; we normally have a fairly early supper anyway.)  Everyone enjoyed the meal, albeit we all got overly stuffed -- the meal included a choice of appetizers (which we don't usually order when we eat out), choice of entrée, and choice of dessert (something we also don't normally order), which came with a celebratory glass of prosecco. BIL, who isn't a great fan of eating out, said several times that he was glad we were doing this. So I consider that a triumph in my books! ;) 

Also, we went to see a movie after dinner ("Passengers").  Dh & I usually go to the movies on Sunday afternoons (sometimes cheaper & often less crowded), so dinner AND a movie are a rare occurrence! 

Current Bane of my Existence -- You would think that since Christmas is over, the stores, parking lots, etc., would be a lot quieter? Well, Monday was a bank/government holiday hereabouts -- and local schools didn't get out until Dec. 22nd -- which means they're not heading back to class until next Monday, Jan. 9th. Which means a lot of people are still off work this week... which is why the stores are still pretty packed, with long lineups at the cash registers. Ugh!!

Current Celebrity Crush -- My previous picks (Aidan Turner (aka Ross Poldark),George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Sam Elliott) still stand. :)

Current Indulgence -- See "Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure," above. ;)

Current #1 Blessing -- No snow to shovel or clear off the car (underground parking!)!! Dh is ecstatic every time it snows & he doesn't have to clear it, lol.

Current Slang or Saying -- Hmmm, not sure I have one.

Current Outfit -- Black yoga pants from Reitman's and green waffle-weave long-sleeved holiday-themed PJ top from Old Navy ($8!).

Current Excitement -- Hmmm, not much that I'm excited about at the moment. My birthday is coming up soon, which means a day to do what I want & dinner out -- although it also means I'm yet another year older (yay?).

Current Mood -- Still feeling some of that post-holiday glow -- but bracing myself for the inevitable post-holiday/post-birthday/endless-winter blues...

10 comments:

  1. I can't believe I didn't know Poldark is a series of novels! Now I know what I will be reading this year. I love the London Fog Lattes at Starbucks (but I ask them to only use one tea bag). I bought vanilla syrup and searched Pinterest to find a copycat recipe. It works for me, but I was also thrilled to get a Starbucks gift card to use for Christmas.

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    1. Yes, they were written in the 1950s through the early 1980s, I think. There are about 12 of them. The last few deal more with Ross & Demelza's grown-up children... they were OK but I didn't enjoy them as much as the original set. I haven't read the last one ("Bella Poldark").

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  2. What did you think of Sherlock? Did you watch it yet?

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  3. Yes I did, on Sunday night! I was a bit shocked by the ending -- but not really when I thought about it, since Mary was only a very minor character in the original books & the main relationship is between Holmes & Watson (and the actress playing her has split up with Martin Freeman in real life). I see she still turns up in the other two episodes in this season, though?? Flashbacks, maybe? And what about the girl on the bus?? I am wondering whether she will show up in future episodes (& whether she was just being flirtatious, or something else is up?).

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  4. Hmm, those Lindor chocolate balls... I can see why your husband needed help with them ;-)!

    Our stores are still packed, too. I thought that people had shopped themselves to death before Christmas, but obviously they didn't :-)!

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    1. I love chocolate, & Lindor is soooooo good! They have Lindt chocolate stores at both the mall we frequent, with a whole bunch of different flavours you can try... I try to forget they are there, but they are soooooo tempting!!

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  5. I love these slices of your life.

    I was given a chocolate chip panettone. How do you eat it? Just in slices, or do you make something with it?

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    1. Thanks, it is fun to check in with myself now & then. ;)

      Yes, you slice panettone like you would slice a cake or a sweetbread/loaf. I slice mine fairly thick. I sometimes warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave. Some people told me they make bread pudding with it, although I've never tried.

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  6. Hmm I love panettone. I sometimes toast slices and put butter on it. I've seen Italians serve it with big blobs of mascarpone, which is lush

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