2020 - Looking Back at the Year

Weight - Started at 187.7, ended at 177.9. High 202. Low 175.5.

2020 was quite the year. Mid-March, Covid was affecting everyone. Luckily, our family jobs weren't impacted (Hubs and the older boys). #4 had moved to online school the year before, and #5 is uber adaptable and was fine when his school moved online for the end of his 8th-grade year. 

Even before Covid complications, I had slipped in my eating and exercise. The end of 2019 had been hard (anxiety issues for #4, a death in the family, broken bones and a car crash). I slipped a little in my fitness and food tracking, and it showed on the scale. I came into the year higher than I'd ever been. But it didn't stop there. Covid canceled my Zumba classes, took away my motivation for counting calories or keeping track of my workouts (which impacted doing those workouts). There was some seeking of comfort foods, and sleeping in, as I didn't have to get boys to school or off to Zumba class.

When I hit 200, that was a bit of an eye-opener. I'd always (other than pregnancy) stopped at about 185 before. Tracking my sleep ... and some snoring, I finally decided to crack down on the eating and exercise. Mid-October I went back to counting calories with MFP, and limiting when I ate. I'd tried IMF (Intermittent Fasting) back mid-2019 with some success (low of 164 at the end of June), but then as mentioned, 2019 hit hard times and my motivation fled. I had just planned on resuming 16:8, as I had done last year, but I found myself doing 18:6, and even doing some 20+ fasts. I'd stop eating in the afternoon (around 3:00-5:00) and then wait to eat until 11:00 or later the next day. I'm not really a breakfast person anyway. 

As far as exercise, although I had slowed, I never stopped. I'm super spoiled with a complete home gym in the basement. Although the cancellation of Zumba affected me, the closing of the gyms didn't. I still had my treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike and full set of weights. I remember posting a picture of my weight set (I was repositioning things, which was a workout itself!) and got so many comments of "where did you get all those dumbbells!?!" as apparently in a Covid world, there was a huge shortage of home workout equipment. As the year went on, my elliptical broke (just as I was upping my exercise) but was able to be repaired. My Motiv ring stopped working. I replaced it with the Oura, and am trying out Amazon's new Halo tracker ... although Fitbit is still my main source for feedback.

When the weather warmed up, I reached out to a few ladies about resuming Zumba outside. Zumba is completely non-contact, very easy to social distance. So we did that. Tuesdays and Fridays in the church parking lot for Spring and Summer. Some days were hot. Some days it rained. Eventually, restrictions relaxed a bit, and we moved back into the church building. In the Fall, when the numbers started increasing again, the church limited building use to only the most essential meetings. Anything athletic was not allowed. In my building anyway. One of the other ladies had leadership that was being a bit more lenient, so we moved to Mon/Wed at that building. These ended up being MY classes. I was the instructor, but I did have a couple of helpers to add variety and energy. 

As far as family ... no one in our immediate family caught Covid, lost their job (#3's Nike store did close for a while, so he went back to work as an electrician with #2. #4 even got his first job) or was too adversely affected by everything. 

#3 finally got a new car, Hubs got a new truck. #1 got a work truck and he and his wife bought a house (early in the year, pre-pandemic). #2 broke his foot AGAIN, bought a house, and got married. Pandemic wedding! There were still trips to the lake, and Hubs had a few get-aways. Basketball was reduced, but not gone. No ducks this year, but the doggy next door had puppies, and that was a lot of fun. Some major renovations in the house (things switched up as #2 moved out). I actually went to TWO movies at the theater at the start of the year (I hadn't been in a long time! Ironic as then all the movie theaters had to shut down). Home haircuts, lots of family board/card games, pickleball and ping pong ... oh, and the earthquake. Can't forget about that! It was definitely a year to remember!

Books in 2020

 

I think everyone will say that 2020 was an unexpected and odd year. Definitely not normal! When Covid started to shut down everything, I wasn't sure how that would impact my reading. I was already a digital girl, so the libraries closing their doors didn't impact me as much as those who still checked out books physically. On one hand, I had MORE time to read, but on the other hand, I wasn't doing many of the things (driving, games, practices, shopping) that were my multi-tasking/audiobook times. Overall, I think it was a wash, and while I didn't get in quite as many books as last year, I still got a lot.

GoodReads provides an annual recap.
192 books. 63,935 Pages (1007 Longest, 332 Average) 3.6 Rating Average.

 

I would create a monthly recap - a picture collage with the covers, and stats ... if I read the Kindle copy or listened to the audiobook (if it was KindleUnlimited, I had both options and would often switch between the two, although marking those as "audio" still). Where I got the book ... from the library, from KU, if it was a copy given to me for review. I bought a few (a very few!) With SO many books out there, I haven't been much of a re-reader these last years. I switched that up this year, and started listening to some old favorites I'd read previously. I also decided not to feel bad about not finishing a book if I wasn't enjoying it.

All the books were reviewed and rated on GoodReads. 25 five star reads this year. Four stars seems to be my most common rating, with quite a few three stars. I didn't rate any books with one star (I left some unrated, those would be DNFs that I hadn't read enough of to feel I could really give a rating) and had several two star ("it was okay") reads.

Some of the numbers don't line up perfectly. GoodReads book count at 192 doesn't match my monthly books added up. There were a few that I ended up adding to GoodReads after I'd done my monthly update, and as mentioned, some of the books marked "audio" I did "read" for portions as well. Those collages can be found on my monthly reports throughout the year.

I had a KindleUnlimited subscription at the start of the year, and they offered me an inexpensive extension, so I did that. I never paid full price, and while I use KU a ton when I have it, I don't feel bad when I don't. I still have PLENTY of books waiting for me. I actually purchased more books (mostly audio) but they don't make it only my excel chart until I actually read/listen. Then there is the library. When I don't have KU, the library is my main resource. Amazon had a KU deal (6 months for $30 ... which is actually more than I'd paid to date) I went ahead and subscribed again. Many of my audio  review copies had Kindle available in KU, and I often liked having the text available. When I'd check out an audiobook from the library, I'd often put the Kindle copy on hold too, although the timing wouldn't always work out. Not all my resources are represented - my mom had a DeseretBook subscription, so I listened to some audiobooks from there. Audible had an "AudioEscape" trial (a program which they have now discontinued) and I listened to a bunch while I had that access.

I track these things on different GoodReads shelves, as well as the categorizing the book by type (fantasy, dystopian, historical, etc). I LOVE GoodReads. It helps keep me organized, and I am a numbers nerd. 

Bring on the books for 2021! But here's a scroll through last year ...

Christmas Movies 2020

Last year, I finally caved and watched some "Christmas Movies" ... I don't have Hallmark or Lifetime, but between Netflix and Amazon, I found enough to keep me entertained while I worked out. This December (well, starting the day after Thanksgiving) I decided to do the whole "Christmas Movie" again. Xfinity had their "free streaming" week where I had access to most of the cable channels (Lifetime, Hallmark, Up) and I did a free 7-day Amazon trial of Hallmark ... but Amazon had quite a few movies available on Prime. I glanced at what Netflix had to offer, but I'd watched many of their main ones last year. I made a list, looked up ratings on IMDB (just to try and get the best available, ratings may have changed since I wrote them down) and started watching. There are some spoilers in my reviews ...

• Dashing Home For Christmas: (2020 IMDB 6.7) This was pretty cute. Formulaic, although that's pretty expected for these Christmas shows (boy meets girl, issues, then love). The male lead was a little dorky, but definitely grew on you (and her). I was a little frustrated that he was so upset by her job there at the end. It's a job. There were a couple really obvious "green screen" moments, and the main girl could NOT sing! This was on "UpTV" (Xfinity) and it still had commercials. Uggg, I hate commercials! I could fast forward through them, but I'll try to avoid any that have ads for future watching ... even if I have to pay!
• A Welcome Home Christmas (2020 IMDB 7.0) This was on Lifetime/Xfinity, and there were a few commercials, but they were short, so it was okay. This story revolved around military service. The main girl had a cute smile, he took longer to grow on me. The two leads had a little karaoke display and they were great.
• Last Christmas (2019 IMDB 6.5) This one ended up being a favorite, which surprised me a little. This had been a theatrical release, and was streaming on HBO. I wasn't expecting the ending (often I catch those things before they happen). I may have shed a tear or two.
  
• Christmas on Ice (2020 IMDB 6.4) I think this was Lifetime ... it was on Demand with Xfinity. It was cute. The main gal was really cute, and the main guy was likeable. The little girl was pretty good. The roommate was a tad over the top, and the two girls had a really nice place. The couple on skates in the cover doesn't look like the main couple though!
• Mingle All The Way (2018 IMDB 6.9) This was a Hallmark movie, and I liked it fine, but honestly when we first met the leading man ... I thought perhaps he was gay, and that was going to be part of the storyline (and that he wasn't the romantic lead). Also the main gal's assistant (maybe they were going to get together?) but both men ended up in hetero relationships. I guess I read them wrong. The idea of the app was cute, a little over the top with their "bad" meetings. I think she would have gone for a different match and not continued on.
• Christmas Unwrapped (2020. IMDB 6.5) Lifetime/On Demand (Xfinity). It was cute.
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008. IMDB 7.3) Amazon Prime ... this one hadn't really called out to me (I had seen it available on Amazon last year but it didn't make it on my list), but the IMDB score was one of the higher ones. I ended up liking it a lot. Haven't seen the main gal in anything else. She was sure tall and skinny and elegant. The main fellow was quite likable. 
• A Christmas Switch (2018 IMDB 6.0) A switch-up from the usual Christmas romance. Two women, both married with daughters (one just four, the other a teen) switch bodies. One is a mommy-mom, waitress, singer, not very put together, while the other is the epitome of the sophisticated working woman. It was fun to see how they learned from being in each other's lives. While the overall ending was good, I hated the very end moment (indicating that the two daughters would now switch ... the thought of that darling 4-year old being so confused in a 16-year old's body didn't entertain me). 
  
• Finding Father Christmas (2016. IMDB 6.9) I had noticed "Marrying Father Christmas" as part of Amazon Prime, and realized it wasn't the first in the series. I saw there were two that preceded it, so I did a Hallmark Movie Subscription trial on Amazon and started at the beginning. It was cute.
• Engaging Father Christmas (2017 IMDB 6.9) Also on the Hallmark Movie Channel. Cute continuation. Interesting to see the slight change-up in hairstyle for the main gal. They replaced the actor playing the young girl.
  
• Marrying Father Christmas (2018 IMDB 6.3) Met, Engaged ... and this installment has the marriage. Just more of the same general cuteness. Peter's wife was recast. I had to wonder where the happy couple was off to, riding off in the snow at the end? The groom's parents own the town B&B, the wedding had happened at the couple's house (as far as them coming back there - everyone out!) ... where did they go? Was on Prime, but leaving ... also on the Hallmark channel.
  
• Window Wonderland (2013 IMDB 6.8) Hallmark Movie Subscription - hey, it's Lexi from Grey's Anatomy! With super short hair! This was a cute show, I enjoyed it. Total "Hallmark" movie formula.
  
• Ice Sculpture Christmas (2015 IMDB 6.7) Hallmark Movie Subscription. I had an ice sculpture at my wedding. I think they are cool and figured this would be an interesting watch just for that aspect alone. Is learning how to sculpt ice really a part of a chef's training?
  
• Best Christmas Party Every (2014 IMDB 6.5) Hallmark Movie Subscription. Another very formulaic Hallmark movie, but it was cute.
  
• Dear Christmas (2020 IMDB 6.1) Xfinity offered free access to Lifetime movies for a few days, so that's where I watched this. Brand new ... made during Covid as other 2020 premiers must have been. This one was interesting as there weren't very many people in the show, no crowd scenes (they were indicated off-screen). No mention of Covid specifically, no masks, although there were glass hearts made for healthcare workers as part of the story. I didn't care for Melissa Joan Hart - her lipstick distracted me SO much. It was like her lips were lined, not very well, and not filled in to match. Jason Priestley, from my earlier 90210 years. Ummmm... he was NOT singing, that didn't sound like what he would sound like at all. Overall, this was pretty blah.
  
• A Cinderella Christmas (2016 IMDB 6.3) Also on Lifetime/Xfinity. I liked this, the little "Cinderella" theme. Rolling my eyes a little that the main man didn't recognize the main gal without the mask. She has very distinctive lips! Pretty silly with the "getting married to the mystery woman on Christmas" but it's a Cinderella Christmas movie so, I just went with it. I had an issue with the subtitles - position of the hyphen in Christmas-querade . Or Chris-MASKerade. But not Christ-masquerade. I kept seeing "Christ" in there (which shouldn't be that surprising in a Christmas movie, but this was nothing to do with Christ).  
  
• Once Upon a Main Street (2020 IMDB 6.5) This was cute, although the ultimate ending was so "duh - just collaborate" from the start! Funny, the book Melissa Joan Hart's character wrote in Dear Christmas was in the bookstore here.
  
• A Timeless Christmas (2020 IMDB 7.2) Hallmark movie watched w/Xfinity ... which I didn't realize would be riddled with commercials when On Demand. While I liked this, I would have skipped it if I had known about all the commercials. A cute time-travel.
  
• Coming Home For Christmas (2013 IMDB 5.7) There are a couple movies with this title, the OTHER one was rated higher (6.7) and as I watched this I was seriously confused and then I realized this one was the lower rated one. It wasn't great. From the over-the-top teen dance memory (holy cow, the braces were totally protruding from her mouth) to the walking out of the wedding, to the husband leaving the sister (but leaving her the mansion and all the furnishings?) to the sister hijacking the other sister's massage, so the main guy happening to have a red-headed marionette that resembled one the girls had when they were young (and him selling it to her even though he'd promised it to someone else, what happened when the other came to collect) to the quick make-up between the sisters after not speaking for five years. The scenes would jump too, one minute the characters would be in one location, then it would shift to something completely unrelated and I would be like "um, how did we get here, and why?" The mother - Amy Jo Johnson will always be the pink ranger and the friend to Felicity. A little weird to see her as a mother to older girls, but ... I guess we're similar in age and I have married sons. I didn't think she looked like the mother to the two girls, but I did think the two girls really looked alike. They ARE sisters, so that explains that! I believed it was the girls singing ... but it was obvious the main gal wasn't singing live, that it had been recorded and they were trying to make it appear like they were singing live. It didn't work for me.
• A Christmas Cancellation (2020 IMDB 4.9) Hmmm ... should have checked the reviews (even though there aren't many, and I see the IMDB score has dropped even more with a few more reviews added). I didn't care for this, and it wasn't Christmas! It just happened to be set around Christmas time, but it didn't need to be at all. This was just weird (characters in a sitcom that realize they aren't real and that their show is going to end), and turned into this social commentary at the end, preachy, and it just did NOT work for me at all (or others, based on the reviews, despite all the "awards" peppering its cover). 
  
• Christmas in Mississippi (2017 IMDB 6.5) This was cute ... same gal as in "A Welcome Home Christmas" which I watched earlier in the month. I think I liked this match-up better. I really liked the light show the town put on! It was impressive!
  
• Christmas for a Dollar  (2013 IMDB 7.0) Not a romance, a bit older, and set back during the Depression. One-room schoolhouse. Cute couple of kids, nice touching storyline (if a little silly during the boy's cowboy imaginings) and a little too perfectly wrapped up ... but I liked it.
• A Christmas Angel (2009 IMDB 6.6)  This was really cute and sweet and a favorite this year. I liked some of the songs too - had to grab my phone and Shazam them. One song "Flying and Falling" (not Christmas) is now a favorite, and I ended up using it on the annual family slideshow for the year, as well as then looking at the other songs I'd Shazammed while watching movies. 
• Christmas Contract (2018 IMDB 6.9 ) I recognized the main gal from "One Tree Hill" ... and then the main guy looked familiar from that too (and yes, he had been in OTH too). At one point they had a little concert with a singer ... that's such a One Tree Hill thing, and he'd been a performer on that too. I did like the show, although it was weird seeing "Payton" older. I really liked the idea of the Christmas Tree maze though!
• A Bride for Christmas (2012 IMDB 6.6) Despite the premise ( a bet to get a girl to say yes to an engagement by Christmas) I thought this was cute. I remember the fellow from one of the Hallmark movies last year, and checking on IMDB, looks like he is in several! Reminds me of the cute guy in "This is Us" ...
  
• Noelle (2019 IMDB 6.3) We got a month of Disney+ to catch season 2 of The Mandelorian, so I figured I'd catch the Christmas movie Disney had made last year too. It was cute, had a very "Elf" feel at moments (the naive big kid from the North Pole in the regular world). 
• The Spirit of Christmas (2015 IMDB 6.5) This was cute. Same gal as "Mingle All The Way" - she has a little dent in her nose. Ghost story romance. Funny as I saw a Buzzfeed "hottest men from Christmas movies and the guy from this made the list (the only one from Hallmark/Lifetime movies, all the other men were more mainstream). 
  
• The Christmas Lodge (2011 IMDB 6.2) I liked it. Was a little on the religious side, with prayers and talk of "God" and heaven and such. 
  

 

General Thoughts ...

• I can't do movies with commercials. I've been too spoiled with Netflix and Amazon.  I hadn't realized (call me naive in inexperienced) that paid cable channels STILL have commercials. 
• Amazon needs to work on their subtitles - In many of the movies, almost every line had a couple words pushed together and it made for some weird words. In the final movie (Christmas Lodge) the subtitles were not timed correctly. The characters would speak, and there was quite a lag until what they said was shown (I need subtitles when I'm on the treadmill, as it's a little too noisy to catch it all ... and I just like subtitles all the time!)
• I don't decorate much (compared to EVERYWHERE in these movies).
• I'm not sure if all these love stories are supposed to be inspiring ... I got a little depressed.
• I like the music in these Christmas movies - lots of fun songs/versions I haven't heard.
  

I know it's the eating more than the exercising (but I have been having success with counting calories and fasting) but every minute of these movies was watched while working out, either elliptical or walking on the treadmill. Almost all the movies are around 90min (so they can fit into a two-hour time slot with 30minutes of commercials!) but 90min a day (I break it up into several workouts) is doable for me. 

Now what should I watch?

 

 

December 2020

 

December ... I've been with Fitbit for YEARS, and I think I knew I could export data, but that wasn't part of my general routine. I had been inputting stats in an excel file manually. It was quite a bit of work. In the spring, when I was giving up on lots of things (stopped counting calories, wasn't exercising as much, didn't really want to record the numbers on the scale) I stopped filling in my excel file. When I refocused mid-October, I still didn't get back to recording all my stats. As I started seeing success on the scale, I DID want to see the numbers, and was able to do a quick export from Fitbit rather than filling in everything manually myself (date, weight, calories in, steps, burn ... I do still have to add the individual exercise stats). So, here are the stats from December.

Starting weight 182.96 and that was also the high for the month.  Weight was 177.86 at the end of the month.  Low 175.15. Average 180. Being the holiday season, even with Covid cancelations and limited gatherings, there were treats and temptations. There were some days where I didn't keep the calorie count in check, had to be more flexible with my fasting windows, and didn't get all the exercise in. It happens. I'd been happy to get to 175, but then the weight bumped up a bit and stalled around 178 for a few weeks. 

I hit my Monday/Wednesday Zumba, and then went to MZL once ... not a full class, just a few of the instructors getting together to stream class to anyone interested. It was fun to see some friends I hadn't seen in person since March, and to dance some new numbers. I had treadmill time 23 days, only missed one day on the elliptical. Lots of ping pong with #4 and three workouts with weights. 

As far as the family goes ...

#5 turned 15 and made the high school basketball team (he's just a freshman, but will be playing sophomore and JV and possibly varsity). We had a family dinner at Tepanyaki, although later in the month Hubs got his own garage grill and made some fried rice and shrimp that was just as good! The big family Christmas Eve party on my side of the family was canceled because of Covid (my folks are being very careful), but we still had a gathering on Hub's side (one family had recovered fairly recently and we figured it was pretty safe). Hubs did end up spiking a fever on Christmas Eve ... he got tested but it wasn't Covid. We didn't get the result back until after Christmas though, so we only had doorstep drop bys from our married kids. One family member in the medical field, so one vaccine administered. I got to see some basketball games (only parents can attend), but then the team had to sit out the Christmas Tournament as Covid went through the basketball team. #5 didn't get it though. That was December on the family front. 

I did a post about all the Christmas movies I watched ... here are the books.

Not as many books this month ... but "The Broken Eye" was almost 850 pages, and then I started up (but didn't finish) the next book in the series, which has 700+ pages. "Mercy Road" and "The Whiskey Sea" lined up with some of #4's studies in U.S. History (WWI and Prohibition). I thought about maybe getting a Christmas story or two, but then I was a little overloaded with Christmas themed stuff with all the TV movies. 

Movies -2020

 I know I've put some of what I was watching while working out in my monthly updates, but I like a dedicated post so that I can see all my movies at a glance. I have the recap for 2019, and 2018/2017. Sometimes TV series would be more my focus, not many movies.

Jan2020 I actually saw a couple movies (Ford vs Ferrari and Knives Out) in the theater. That may not sound like a big thing, but it had been years since I'd been. I just prefer double double duty, getting my steps in while I watch ... and I like subtitles. Of course, then the world went Covid crazy and theaters and everything else shut down. I was very grateful to my home gym.

I borrowed The Way Back, Everest, and Child 44 (all "true stories" and also books I'd read) from the library, DVD format (before the libraries shut down). Everything else was streamed with services we subscribed to (Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Disney, Starz, AppleTV) - some subscriptions only temporarily.

Hubs was really looking forward to Hamilton, so we got Disney+ for a couple months. I got caught up on all my Marvel and Star Wars and then watched anything else that looked remotely interesting to me. Caught some kids classics I hadn't gotten around to viewing (as I have boys, and they are older).

A few movies I'd seen previously and was working a rewatch (Dan, Bobby Fisher, Willow) but most of these were first time viewings, even though many weren't exactly recent releases. 

 

November 2020

Last month I mentioned I'd refocused and recommitted to an exercise/eating improvement. I haven't gone back to my excel tracking sheets (tracking EVERYTHING, food, sleep, workouts) but I did record several stats in this calendar. I don't think it's something I'll continue to do, but it was interesting to look at. You can see the weight loss in the far right column, including numbers from October.

My elliptical was fixed (from the break last month) but Zumba took a hit. The weather turned too cold for our outdoor class on Fridays, and we had to stop for a couple weeks at the church (Covid restrictions). My #4 has had a renewed interest in ping pong ... not really a workout, but just interesting for me to track the time we spend together doing that. 

In addition to upping the exercise, I started tracking calories (using MFP) and resuming intermittent fasting. I'd tried IMF for several months in 2019 and had some success ... but ultimately went back to eating whenever I wanted. As I was trying again, I was aiming for 16:8, but found myself going longer. 18-20 hours, without much struggle at all. I'd stop eating around 4:00, and then wouldn't break my fast until 11:00 or later. Just limiting the time I was eating, as well as curtailing the mindless snacking, kept calories in check too. As always, I do better controlling quantity than quality. Always a struggle for me.

I had a 30k day! First time in a looooooong time!

Total steps for November were 653,114. Average 21,770. Weight average was 188.94 (estimate from Apple Health, as I'm no longer keeping my excel file to add it all up manually). That's 7.26 down from October.  My new ring tracker (Oura) is still new, and I got approved to try out the Halo from Amazon, so I added that tracker too. I don't know that either motivates me more, but it's just interesting for me to compare how they track.

Family updates ... birthdays for Hubs and me. Thanksgiving. Two of the boys are moving up in their jobs as electricians, #2 getting his residential journeyman license and #3 promoted to team leader, so we have a van in the driveway again. There was a two-week shut down, which postponed #5's basketball tryouts, which ended up okay, as he and pretty much all the boys who were trying out got quarantined. They did end up having their tryouts at the end of the month and he made the team (as a freshman, will be playing Sophomore/JV and available for Varsity if needed).  We had some skin issues, and doctor and dentist appointments too. Lots of work on Maga's house, and it was sold and the estate settled. November was a full month!

Instead of beginning with books like the last many months, 

I'll finish up with my monthly "book report" ...

17 books for November. Still going with Kindle Unlimited for the most part, while I have a subscription. I had a few holds at the library, so as they come in I have been grabbing them too.Still listening a bit more than reading ... as I can listen while doing other things. "Huck Finn" was required reading for my son's school class. Not one I really liked, but helping him with assignments, seeing what questions and concepts are being discussed, makes me appreciate it more than if I'd just read it on my own.

While working out, I watched "The Queen's Gambit" and a few movies while cable had a "watch-a-thon" with access to premium channels. "The Invisible Man" and "Jojo Rabbit" ... and then I started on Christmas movies as soon as Thanksgiving was over. I'll do a post about that when December wraps up.

Apple+ Originals

My oldest son is married and he and his wife have a house, and their own phone plan. He's still connected to our Itunes account though. With his latest phone purchase, he got a year of Apple+ TV for free. That was about a year ago. I hadn't really looked into Apple+, but figured I'd give some of the series a try before the free subscription ran out.

• The Morning Show: Hubs and I watched this one together upstairs. I'd heard quite a bit of buzz about it, with the three well-known leads. We liked it. I'd peeked at IMDB and saw two seasons listed. Hubs was disappointed to discover the second season wasn't actually out yet. 
• Home Before Dark: I had to push to finish this one. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at the childish feel, as the main character was just 10 years old. I thought she was pretty good, but the other child actors ... were not. The adults too, but maybe it was just the bad writing of the script and story. I was really surprised it was rated so high on IMDB (7.5). 
• Ted Lasso: I really didn't think this would be one I would enjoy ... I loved it. 
• See: I like post-apocalyptic stuff. I can't imagine trying to function without sight, especially with everyone without sight. While I liked this, I was a little ready for it to end. I don't know that I'd watch a second season.
• Defending Jacob: This was another complex, not sure who or what to believe. We as the audience got a couple of peeks that the parents didn't. I almost wish I hadn't seen those, even though they didn't give away anything for sure. Scary how easily an innocent life could be caught up in something ...
• Servant: This was WEIRD, and nothing was really explained. Not sure if anyone is a "good" guy in this show. I'd probably watch a second season.
• Truth Be Told: I liked this, thought it was interesting. Showed a little the power of the media, even a simple podcast. 
• Greyhound: An Apple Original movie. I liked it, although it wasn't as action packed as some shows out there. 

With wrapping up this movie and these series ... I pretty much watched everything that interested me on Apple+. Just in time to cancel come November. But then there was an email saying our year trial was extended through February. We'll see if any of the sequels drop. Otherwise, I will cancel, and then maybe sign up for a month or so at some point and binge whatever interests me. 

Apple got raked over the coals for gaining exclusive rights to the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin special. People were absolutely up in arms about that not being aired on network television this year. 

I was glad I could access Apple+ on my Roku. HBO is still lacking there.

 

October 2020

 

I did a lot more "reading" this month than I have in a while. There has been some slight snoring from Hubs right at the start of the night, which keeps me awake. So I've been reading. Audio at any other time I can listen and multi-task. I rejoined KindleUnlimited this month. Last year I'd purchased a "gift subscription" (for myself *Ü*) when it was offered at $30 for 6 months (half price) and then I just hadn't felt the urge until recently. A couple of the AudiobookBoom books (where I'm given the audiobook in exchange for an honest review) had the Kindle copy on KU, and I often like to refer to that for reviews. All of these are rated and reviewed on my GoodReads page. 

I was a little more active this month with 512370 total steps/16528 average. Weight started at 198.8. High was 202, low was 191 which was also the end of the month weight. Average was 196.2. Mid-month, after hitting that high and going over 200, I refocused. I started up both IMF and counting calories again and have stuck with it pretty successfully so far. It has shown on the scale, but since there was a gain recently, it doesn't really feel like a "loss" but just getting back to where I had been for a while (180s, not even quite there yet).

I had some equipment issues this month. My Motiv ring ... is dead. It's done. I went ahead and got the Oura. It's very different and I'm still figuring it out. Of course it's just extra tracking for me, as I still rely on my Fitbit for most of my feedback. Also ... my elliptical. I was just getting back into using it more when CRACK. Something broke. It was the plate under the right pedal. I found the part and ordered it, and Hubs was able to fix my machine ... but we also went and looked at new ellipticals, and I really liked the Octane. Keeping that one in mind! I added some stationary bike back into my routine, and even did a couple weight workouts. Zumba three days a week, and treadmill almost daily.

Of course, October means Halloween. I love candy corn and my pumpkin sugar cookies. The weather turned cold and we had our first frost. I gathered everything from the garden and started fall cleanup. The dishwasher broke, so it was a week+ of handwashing until we got it repaired. Hubs had the garage door openers reworked. #3 had some skin issues, finally decided to call the doctor and a couple prescriptions did get him cleared up ... but then #4 started breaking out. My boys watched the NBA finals (belated due to Covid) and #5 had LOTS of basketball (he's on three teams). I made it to many of the games, making highlight reels from my videos. #4 is enjoying football and his fantasy league, and has also been working at the elementary school most afternoons.  The high school was doing online learning until the end of the month ~ #5 had been attending one class at the high school, and they had to cancel their basketball open gym times. Hubs had a Covid-contact and self-quarantined, working from home for several days until he got his negative-test result. He and I got some shows watched ... Silicon Valley season 6, and Cobra Kai, seasons 1&2. Down in the gym, I watched a bunch of Apple+ shows (our free year was scheduled to end in November, but I guess we got extended until Feb). Defending Jacob, See, Servant, Truth Be Told. Also Manifest (I'd recorded, watched off a portable hard drive). 

September 2020

I've been tracking my books. I haven't been tracking intake. I have still been wearing my Fitbit (habit) but I haven't been inputting data in excel to get totals/averages, etc. I despise what I see in the mirror but I just can't seem to improve the eating/exercise to combat it. Starting weight was 196.9. Ending weight 198.8. Low 194.6. High 200. Average 198.21. 

 

I've been getting some activity in. Zumba, Mon/Wed and we added in outdoor Fridays. Treadmill for two miles almost every day. I keep trying to get back into elliptical, but it feels so hard. Out of the habit, and I think my machine is a little off. I got a few 10min workouts in. Crazy to remember when I'd do five 20min sessions almost every day. #4 and I got out to play tennis once (we did it once a week last Fall). We have Apple+ for a few months, so Hubs and I watched "The Morning Show" upstairs, and downstairs (while working out) I watched "Home Before Dark." We liked the former, I was not impressed with the latter. I then watched "See" which I liked, but I was also glad it was done. I'd also added Disney+ back for a month, as #5 was in a Marvel mood. I watched a couple of movies ... "The One and Only Ivan" and "Solo". It would take a few days days, as I'm just not in the gym as much anymore. I used to be able to finish a movie in a day, in a few workouts throughout the day.

 

September started with continued home improvement ... painting the upstairs, which required a ton of prep and de-cluttering. It's helped with the organization overall though. We went through all the old electronics, the boys have a room for school and computer work/games and I now have my space to myself, with room for my sewing machine. New clock and some cute frames (placed to cover some old outlets). Another birthday (#1 - 25). More puppy time ... they went to their new homes at the end of the month. Basketball. Hubs had a couple weekend getaways with the RZR, #3 went with him to Moab. The boys hit a couple movies, but there just aren't new movies out there right now. #4 got a job! Cleaning at the elementary school, just an hour or so Mon-Fri, but it's really pretty perfect for him. Covid concerns at the schools, and the high school shifted to online learning here at the end of the month (#5 was taking one class at the high school). Fires in and out of state have made for smoky skies and beautiful sunsets.

August 2020

I love my library ... 12 of the books I read were digital checkouts. Some I'd had on hold, others were just available. I pulled one book from my Kindle cloud, and then requested three books from Audiobook Boom. I have to admit, I struggle sometimes with the reviews ... I didn't love two of the books, they were just okay. I feel guilty giving a bad or so/so review when I've been gifted the book. 

I'd really liked "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" trilogy. I read it a while ago, and saw that a 4th book "The Empire of Dreams" had come out. I hadn't really heard anything about it. Looking closer, I saw that it was a continuation, but more of spin-off. It featured Red, from "The Bitter Kingdom" ... and I must admit, I hadn't really remembered her that much. It wasn't essential to remember really, but I loved slipping back into this fantasy world. There were certain scenes that I thought had to be retold from the third book in the trilogy ... so as I finished up, I checked out "The Bitter Kingdom" (book 3) and re-read it. I'd listened to the audiobook the first go-round, and just read the Kindle copy this time. I really adore this series! I did go with audio for "Empire" and while it was a different narrator, that was expected and acceptable, as the POV was different. This narrator was great too, and I did appreciate that she matched the pronunciation of the various unique names.

... I continued on with the next two books in the Ranger's Apprentice series and liked them. I have the next couple books on hold. The Iron Flower was book 2, and I have the 3rd book in series on hold.  The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't was a prequel "bitty" book to "The Parasol Protectorate" series which I adored. This one ... not so much. It just didn't have the same feel. Born of Fire was the second book in the Elemental Origins series. It was fine, I didn't like it as much as I had the first book. I do plan on continuing on ... I have the 3rd book in my Kindle cloud. I think I got the first three books on some deal.

Savvy and The Adoration of Jenna Fox were re-reads - books I remember really liking. I'd read both of them the first time, and went with audio for this second shot. Well ... Savvy didn't work out. Now, the narrator was really good, she sounded sweet and young and I'm sure I'd like her ... on a different book. I'd read Savvy YEARS ago, and what had stuck in my head was the "voice" of the MC. She's a little 13-year old, not uneducated, but definitely had an "accent" at least in my head. Something Southern-ish. She just has the most unique way of talking, she HAS to have a unique voice. The narrator tried to characterize some of the others, and I didn't love those voices. I just ended up reverting to the kindle copy for my re-read. I haven't read the rest of the series, but it is on my list now. 

I reviewed all the books on GoodReads.

At home with the family ... we had a couple birthdays, several trips to the lake (Pineview x3 and Bear Lake), renovation (painting/carpet) in the basement, then room rearrange (#3 moved downstairs).  Tons of stuff given away (books, sb supplies, clothes, etc), trips to the thrift store and other stuff to family, friends and neighbors. There were PUPPIES! The dog next door had puppies and we have gone over to play quite a bit. Saw my side of the family a few times. Got a date with Hubs, and the whole family to Tepanyaki. #1 got a work truck. Games, and a bowling trip, haircuts at home. As far as Zumba ... my church building said no more gym use (stopping our Tues/Fri class), but the Monday building hasn't had any issue, and even let us add a Wednesday class. So ... still some exercise. I've been pretty regular on the treadmill still (watched season 3 of Dark, started Manifest), but the elliptical hasn't been happening. I did weights once. Haven't been tracking food. I didn't even calculate an average weight for the month ... it hasn't been good.

July 2020

I got a bit more reading (listening) in this month. There was some basketball (I listen while I watch, drive to games and go through video) and some work in the house (basement redo). I was doing more than my usual regular reading too. 

When I first discovered digital, and now have 1000s of books at my fingertips, I didn't plan on re-reading books. Not when there is SO much out there. But, there are many that I loved, that I've only read once. Ones I've read, and decided I wanted to experience again, this time in an audio edition. The top row is my re-reads (actually, the last one was an accidental re-read ... I hadn't remembered I had finished the book!). 

TrueL1F3 and Timeless were the final books in their series, ones I was so happy to get and loved! The Hate You Give was very good, and an interesting approach from the library ... always available, unlimited copies. Trying to spread a little awareness given the current racial unrest. Crenshaw was also uncomfortably contemporary, dealing with homelessness.

There were a couple of fantasy that I SHOULD have really liked, but they didn't click for me. Books are still a little hit and miss.

... what I was watching down in the gym ... we got Disney+ and I watched Hamilton. The music by itself hadn't grabbed me (Hubs and #1 had got caught up in it) but combined with the stage production, AND subtitles, so I could catch everything - I really liked it. I don't think Disney had added anything new since I canceled last. Just got it for the month for Hamilton. I shared my login with my Mom and she loved catching The Mandelorian. I still have Starz for a bit, and went ahead and watched some movies. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Jumanji, Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Equalizer2. Hubs and I even got out to a show, "Mary Poppins" at Hale Theater.

July was a "new" month ... new washer/dryer, new basement fridge, Hubs bought a new truck. We got a new wall in the basement. A growing garden, blooming flowers and an anniversary (28 years, 28 rosebuds). Some family game nights and dinners. Trips to the lake, and quite a bit of basketball for #5.  The 4th of July holiday, and the 24th ... LOTS of fireworks! I was quite productive with my blogging, working on a blog for extended family (28 posts) and for our own family (didn't count them up, but did quite a few from the backlog). 

Weight started at 197.5, ended at 196.1. High was 201.9 and low was 195.6. Average was 198.36 which was up from June's average of 197.18... which I don't think I even bothered to calculate last month. I did go ahead and enter the most basic details of the days (weight, steps, exercise summary). Tried to start counting calories again at the end of the month. Hard to get back into that habit after dropping it. Got Zumba in three days a week. Debbie joined us and that brought new energy! Generally getting in some treadmill, but haven't been able to get back to a good elliptical schedule. I did do weights once!

Covid continues ... mask mandates are now in effect. The school situation is being "discussed" and everyone has very different opinions. #4 will be doing online again (he made the switch last year, but I have to say it's a relief to not really have to think about it with him). #5 insists on going to school physically (although I've told him that may not be his choice at some point, like in Spring). I did talk him into taking two classes online ... although it's more for basketball purposes than Covid concerns.

Starz Subscription - $20 Deal

 

Starz offered a deal ... six months for $20. I figured I needed closure on Power. I'd watched the first five seasons, and now season six was out. So I got Starz to finish Power (and did a Power Post and review already).  I figured I'd check out some series.

• Black Sails: This one grabbed me and I watched all four seasons. This is a bit of a prequel to the story of Treasure Island, with several of the characters that will appear there. Honestly, I'm not very familiar with Treasure Island. This was definitely cable and had it all (violence, language, sexuality).
• Gravity: With a little more time on my Starz subscription, I checked out a couple more series offerings and Gravity grabbed me. I didn't LOVE it, but I liked it. Suicide was the central theme.

... I also watched a few movies, which was a bit harder, as I'm not getting as much gym time as I have previously. Most movies would take me more than one day to finish.

I canceled my Starz subscription ... I'd watched everything I wanted. 

I got my $20 worth!

June 2020

So as mentioned in my last post ... I've gotten a bit lost on my journey. As far as food and fitness goes anyway. I haven't even crunched my numbers for June, and am not sure I will. Not very motivated there. I was still reading, so instead of being at the bottom of my monthly recap like in previous months, books are taking center stage ... 

I got through 12 books ... well, 11, because one was a DNF. Life is too short to stick to a book you aren't enjoying. I have placed my books approximately in order of enjoyment (the first three are 2-4 in a series, so they must be in chronological order ... I would have continued on with that series immediately, but the next book has a wait at my library).  

• FORMAT: 10 of the books were experienced in audio. I only read one (Menagerie ... my library didn't have an audio copy, my DNF The Princess Trials was also not-audio) and struggled to find enough time to READ, even though I liked it a lot. In fact, it got zapped back to the library after three weeks. Oops! Happily I was able to check it out again immediately and finish up. I just have so much more time to listen and multi-task. I listen whenever I can!
• ACCESS: I was finishing up my KindleUnlimited membership at the start of the month. I wasn't offered any wonderful deals to continue, so I canceled. I do enjoy KU ... but not enough to pay $10 a month for it. Four of the books were KU while I still had it. Then I turned to my library, seven of the reads were borrowed from there. I received one from AudiobookBoom in exchange for a review.

I'm really enjoying the Cail Carriger books. I loved her YA series, and I'd actually read the first two books in this series some years ago. I repeated those, this time in audio, and went on to books 3 and 4 and am waiting for the 5th book, currently on hold.  Menagerie is the first in a series and while I really liked it, I don't know if I'll continue on, at least not immediately. I looked at synopsis of the next book and it depressed me.  I had a back-to-back novels with suicide as a central theme (not purposely, but then I also happened to watch "Gravity" on Starz, which, again ...) 

... as for the month?

We had a wedding (#2 son) and despite the pandemic, had a couple family gatherings (it was two weeks ago, and everyone is still healthy, so whew!) Hubs had some outdoor activities going, #5 is back to basketball (although I haven't been to see a game myself, as spectators are limited, and they've been a little further than I want to travel). We watched the neighbor's dog while they had a weekend away ... much to the chagrin of our kitty. 

Weight stayed about the same - high 190s. Didn't track calories. Zumba three days a week ... Mon, Tues and Friday. Started the month outdoors, then got permission to move back into the building (we are a small group, and can easily stay six-feet apart). Tried one last outdoor session when the weather was cool enough, but we got rained on and had to move inside.  I've been walking on the treadmill fairly regularly, but haven't hit the elliptical much. 

While working out, I was still watching Starz ... finished "Black Sails" and then watched "Gravity". Got a month of Hulu, and started watching "Nashville" (had to find where I was, I'd seen through season four). Totally taking advantage of Xfinity not tracking data usage per the pandemic ... recorded a bunch of shows (which I can now watch without wifi) and I've been doing a ton of computer work/family history/blogging and got a bunch of photos and videos backed up. Lots of sitting doing that though. 

So that was June ...