We’ve made it to the middle of November and Thanksgiving is not far off now. I can’t wait to feast!
Thank you for taking time to check out my random thoughts!
DECORATED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Christmas for me runs from November 1st through January 30th!
My trees are up, my cards are ready, and my tunes are putting a jingle in my step!
This is my main tree in the living room.
And, in my bedroom, my tree without icicles! Ironically, every ornament was picked up at yard sales this year in Decatur!
I love the idea so much that next year I’ll place all of my personal ornaments on this tree just to highlight them for you.
And, I’ll put the yard sale ornaments on the main tree with all the icicles!
Happy Holidays!
MY ONLY POLITICAL POST THIS WEEK!
This was too funny not to share! 🙂 If it makes you mad, just be diplomatic in your response.
“DISCO” WEEK!
I’ve already been enjoying Christmas music while I write out my holiday cards. However, Mariah Carey, Michael Buble, Reba, and The Carpenters are temporarily on pause.
I’ve been jamming out and partying to Kylie Minogue’s highly-anticipated new deluxe album, “Disco”!
What a perfect distraction from the U.S. presidential election and the dismal and sad Covid-19 pandemic!
So far, my favorite songs on the album are “Real Groove”, “Supernova”, “Last Chance”, “Where Does The DJ Go?”, “Fine Wine”, and “Spotlight”.
This is, in addition, to the first three single releases, “Say Something”, “Magic”, and “I Love It”.
GRADE: A
“SPOILER ALERT: THE HERO DIES”
This 2017 book is subtitled, “A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Other Four-Letter Words”.
It’s by TVLine editor-in-chief and former “Entertainment Weekly” and “TV Guide” columnist Michael Ausiello.
IT’S ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK I’VE READ IN YEARS!
I’ve been wanting to read it since it came out, but real life and my own drama (D-I-V-O-R-C-E) got in the way.
By page eight, I was ready to date and fall in love in again. By page 26, I had tears streaming down my cheeks and I was happy no one was close enough to me as I was reading and walking by Lake Decatur to see me crying!
The book is amazing. While it’s a heartbreaking story of finding love, fighting for love, and then losing that love in a painful, year-long death sentence, it’s a beautiful love story!
Many will never experience the love that Michael and Kit did.
Ausiello knew just when to drop a funny line, a pop culture reference, or a naughty memory to bring a smile to my face alongside the tears.
One of the “other four-letter words” could be my favorite word (think “F).
Another is one I absolutely love, but I can’t use it without offending someone! (I won’t even give you a hint on that one, but if you’re busy this weekend and on Monday, I’ll see you next Tuesday!)
Also, after reading this beautiful book, “olive juice” takes on a whole new meaning and I hope to get to use it one day! ❤️
“RATCHED”
While Netflix’s “Ratched” feels like another season of “American Horror Story”, it was definitely much better than the last two seasons!
It’s very twisted and entertaining. The color scheme in the sets and wardrobe is gorgeous and is a lead character in itself!
I absolutely love Sarah Paulson as Nurse Mildred Racthed! Well, I love Paulson in everything she does and I’d watch her read a phone book!
And I love Finn Wittrock for many reasons!
But, the dreamiest character in an early episode was Daniel Di Tomasso.
And, if there’s only one Emmy nomination for acting in this series, it’s definitely Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo.
She plays Charlotte Wells, a patient suffering from multiple personalities! Okonedo is amazing to watch!
Another season is coming.
GRADE: B+
“THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS”
I just finished Caleb Carr’s 1997 follow-up to “The Alienist”.
If you watched season two of the TNT series, read this book. It’s totally a different story although Libby Hatch is still featured.
Some that die in the series live in the book and others bite the bullet (spoiler alert)!
DRINK UP!
While I’m one of the few Americans that have never seen any movie in the “Star Wars” series or “The Mandalorian”, I’d partake in this in a heartbeat.
Yo Baby Yoda!
It’s Grey Goose Vodka with muddled kiwi fruit, fresh lime, demerara syrup and bitters 
.
The cocktail was created by Michael Young, co-owner of the restaurant Vault in Banbridge in the United Kingdom.
THE MILLENNIUM SERIES
I just finished reading the last three books in Stieg Larsson’s Swedish crime series, which were written by David Lagercrantz.
As you might know, Larrsson wrote the first three books, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2005), “The Girl Who Played with Fire” (2006), and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2007).
He turned them in and died before reaping any money or success from them!
Writer Lagercrantz wrote the next three books in the series with the Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist characters.
His books are “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” (2015), “The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye” (2017), and “The Girl Who Lived Twice” (2019).
I definitely enjoyed the three newer books. They definitely had more of an American influence, while mainly still based in Stockholm, Sweden.
You can definitely tell the last were (likely) influenced by the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election with this line: “a string of troll factories that spewed out fake news… not only caused chaos and influenced political elections.”
And, in the “Things That Make You Go Hmmm” category…
In the last book, there’s a very evil, crooked rich tycoon with several hotels around the world (including one in Las Vegas) with ties to Russia and a wife he cheats on that’s from Hungary (which neighbors Slovenia)!
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Anthony
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 