I spent a lovely New Year’s Eve with my hosts, Jerry and Linda, as well as my friend, Betty. I prepared a simple dinner with a hummus appetizer and a pasta primavera, which I took upstairs to their place. It was good, and the conversation was enjoyable.
I spent the rest of the evening finishing my binge of Dead to Me. I was so impressed by this series. Dark comedy is one of my favorite genres, and this one did not disappoint. The casting, story line and acting were genius. I had previously not paid much attention to Christina Applegate, but her performance (unfortunately her last due to advanced MS) was stellar. I have seen few productions with as many tears, wine drinking and F bombs. It would be interesting to see if the F word was ever counted.
Gotta love the Internet:
So, I think watching these episodes on my computer so late at night is contributing to my sleep issues. Too stimulating, and it’s the whole “blue light” thing. No more of that.
I’ve discovered pilates as an alternative to walking down the hill. I am alternating a one-hour full-body workout with a 30-minute HIIT program. The YouTube series is Move with Nicole.
https://www.youtube.com/@MoveWithNicole
I was always a bit nervous about pilates. I thought it was going to be too hard, but Nicole’s videos are nice and slow. She does a good job of explaining all of the moves and designing the movements so that I don’t feel overwhelmed with any one exercise. The routines are definitely not easy but very doable. I’m able to follow along and keep up. There is plenty of room for improvement. It’s a nice alternative to stressing my knees walking down the hill.
I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I have thought of two goals I would like to accomplish this year.
(1) I would like to take the DELE exam for intermediate Spanish. DELE stands for Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Diploma of Spanish as a Second Language). As soon as Kathy gets here with the ink for my printer, I’m going to print some sample exams and see how I do. The exams are offered through El Instituto de Cervantes, and I will have to go to Chicago to take the exam. This will be a perfect opportunity to visit Mike and Yoly again.
(2) I would like to try for the Certificate of Proficiency in calligraphy. I am now eligible to take the exam because I have been a member of IAMPETH, the international calligraphy organization, for three years. Again, I’m looking for practice exams to see if I can meet the requirements.
I sent Ash a text the other day and told him that, by my calculations, I still have two lessons remaining with him. I asked if I could just forward some of my daily practices to him and have him critique them. I don’t need a Zoom meeting with him. He agreed to do so. The feedback will help.
Latest Jerry treat: Chocolate-Coconut Cookies. They were gone before my tea was ready.
