#MicroblogMondays: Annoying things & small pleasures (the family Christmas edition)

Annoying things: 

• Three television sets in three different (but not distant) rooms (plus a radio in my parents' bedroom!), all on, and all on different channels, all at top volume (often as my parents snooze, oblivious). (My parents obviously need their hearing tested...!)  Sometimes I feel like all I do while I'm here is walk around, turning off TVs (or at least turning down the volume...!). 
• Not only that: even when the TVs are on the same channel -- because each one is connected to a different receiver -- there's a slight delay in reception that results in an echo effect!  Highly annoying!  
• My dad's penchant for game shows like "The Price is Right," "Let's Make a Deal," and "Family Feud" as well as pseudo-legal shows like "Family Court" and "Judge Judy" (also played at top volume...!).  
• My parents' habit of eating late, often at 7 or sometimes even as late as 8 in the evening -- which translates to 8 or 9 p.m. for dh's & my stomachs. (We usually eat early, around 5:30 p.m., when we're at home.)  Needless to say, we can both get pretty hungry -- and, in dh's case, hungry often = "hangry" ;) -- by the time dinner is on the table here. 
• Gallstones giving me grief up after a really tasty pre-Christmas roast beef dinner last week (albeit that's been the only significant incident to date while we've been here -- knocking wood!).  (This sort of confirms my suspicions that red meat is a trigger for these attacks... sadly for me, because I love me a nice roast beef or steak now & then). 
• Between doing things for my parents, helping out in the kitchen and playing nightly games of cars (along with afternoon games of dominos), there hasn't been a lot of time to spend on my laptop or reading my book(s). My time is not always my own when I'm here!  
• Not being able to have Parents' Neighbours' Daughter (PND) & family over at some point during the holidays because of the rising covid numbers. :(  
• The numbers of people in the local grocery store wearing their masks below their noses. 
• (More scary than annoying:)  Skyrocketing covid case numbers, both here and at home in Ontario, with more than 10,000 new cases logged there on Christmas Day. :(  Officials are warning that the true numbers are probably much higher, because they simply can't keep up with the demand for testing. :(  

Small pleasures: 

• (Actually, a BIG pleasure!)  Spending Christmas with my family again, after spending last year apart (because, covid). 
• Decorating my parents' tree with all the old familiar beloved ornaments (some older than I am!) -- and a few newer ones (including a couple of special Katie-related ones).  :)  
• Still having presents and stockings to open, albeit on a smaller scale than in years past. 
• Other than the one incident noted above, my gallstones have behaved pretty well so far (knocking wood, loudly!). I've tried to be careful while still allowing myself small helpings of most of the yummy things I love to eat, especially the ones I usually only eat at home and/or at Christmastime. 
• Taking an evening drive with my parents (after picking my mom up from an evening hair salon appointment) to look at the Christmas light displays -- capped by seeing three deer, frozen in silhouette, in the parking lot of the church near their house on the edge of town. Magical! 
• Playing cards together every night since we got here, as well as dominos on several afternoons. 
• Making a brief masked visit to deliver Christmas presents to PND & family on the afternoon of Christmas Day -- and meeting their new puppy! 
• Using the lap desk I brought in my suitcase with me, which lets me spend more time on my laptop, comfortably, while I'm here. I'm going to leave it here when we go, so that it will be here for me next time I return. 
• The (mostly) jewelry advent calendar I bought as a treat for myself (I posted about it here).  Opening a lovely new surprise every morning was a real boost to the spirits, and I only wish I had bought one last year, the first time it was offered. I highly recommend the experience! (and if jewelry isn't your thing, there are lots of other cool advent calendars out there for cheese, wine, perfumes, cosmetics -- and chocolate, of course!).  

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.