We have arrived at Black Friday, that infamous day of holiday shopping, and one in which I never take part. This is absolutely the very best day of the year to be at the office. It’s quiet, it’s calm, and you can catch up on things without much interruption. As for the shopping mayhem, it’s amateur hour at the malls and stores, kind of like how Halloween is for me and costumes. Every other day of the year it a shopping day for me, so we’ll let the masses go about their buying frenzy. 

In the event that anyone wants to shop for me this holiday season, my Amazon wish list has recently been brought up to date here. For bigger list items, contact Andy, as he has the list of extra-special requests, which includes the feature photo. Currently my fragrance obsession is the line of perfumes from The Harmonist, discovered on this magical trip to New York City a few weeks ago. ‘Magnetic Woods’ and ‘Hypnotizing Fire’ both captured my fancy, and it takes a lot to capture my fancy these days. Their hefty price tag puts them out of range mostly, much like Tom Ford’s latest Private Blend ‘Black Lacquer’, which totally works with our Fade-to-Back theme of fall, but doesn’t merit it’s exorbitant cost. 

All of this seems rather silly, doesn’t it? The state of the world being what it is, and the state of my own mid-life – if I should be so presumptuous to think I’ll live almost to a hundred – makes this whole gift requesting feel foolish and frivolous. Those are my stocks in trade, however, and if it’s the only way to feel love these days I might as well reach for the stars. Or at the very least a lovely fragrance… 

Never let it be said that I’m ungrateful. I’ve always been exceptionally thankful for all the charms of my mad existence – and most especially for the family and friends who have been there for me all my life. That’s all that matters in the end – the rest of the stuff is merely filler, objects to pass the time and entertain the troops. Lately, I’ve come to incorporate gratitude into every day – finding something for which to be thankful, because there is always something. It’s never hard to find. On a recent morning it was the way the dead fountain grass stalks looked in the afternoon sunlight against a blue sky. 

I’ve always been grateful for beauty, and I always will be. 

Perhaps I should write something more profound on this day set aside for thanks. 

Perhaps being grateful is enough. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you. 

Yes, I’m seeing ‘Wicked’ again already, because it is that good. That Ozdust ballroom scene has changed me… for good.

In honor of that quick return to Oz, here is a list of those cast members who have already been named Dazzler of the Day here (SPOILER ALERT: read no further if you want to be surprised by one part of the movie). Turns out many of these actors have been dazzling for years… click on the name to access their turn as Dazzler.

Cynthia Erivo

Ariana Grande

Jonathan Bailey

Michelle Yeoh

Jeff Goldblum

Bowen Yang

Kristin Chenoweth

Idina Menzel

Jon M. Chu

How I long to be someone who just doesn’t give a fuck about a broken tea bag.

For really, what is so bad about a broken tea bag?

A few errant tea leaves sucked into your stomach won’t kill you. 

Why does it bother me so?

Small. Petty. Mean. That’s the extent of its annoyance factor. No more, and likely less.

I could alway re-strain it if it is the aesthetic that proves so bothersome.

But maybe that’s not it. 

Maybe I like the annoyance.

The bother of it all. 

The agitation that reminds me there are things worth getting upset about, and things decidedly not. 

This is one of the decided nots. 

And so I pocket my little bit of anger, burying it like a burnt bagel, letting it bide its time until something bigger comes along.

Because something bigger always comes along. 

{The Virgo has spoken. The Perfectionist retreats. The Harmonist knocks.}

Gratitude should be in the air this week… and I’m trying. 

I’m really trying. 

Well, let me just get through the work days and then I’ll employ the full thanks for Thursday.

For now, a pair of pics to whet your appetite for our somewhat-annual Friendsgiving weekend in Boston, which I promised a while ago and look to fulfill this week. In the meantime, our weekly recap begins here.

Smart enough.

Where the skies are blue – the sane person’s fix for Twitter/X.

Piss in plastic.

Still wicked after all these years.

A summer storm.

A gray ghost.

A grand child.

A shade of gray.

Crossroads of the world.

Another gray ghost.

Another shade of gray.

The ash didn’t fall.

The Process.

The Shady Story.

After turning off the news, I returned to peaceful living.

Shirtless counter-programming from the past.

A sky that looks troubled or hopeful.

Maybe I’ll give up e-mail for Advent. Wait, that’s Lent…

Holiday progeny.

Morning sky on my way to work last week. 

Oh the drama of it all.

A multi-layered extravaganza.

And Lord knows I love an extravaganza.

The laziness of a Sunday morning post, especially when the blogger doesn’t feel like writing. 

Go out and enjoy the day, no matter the weather, no matter the mood.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. 

And then enjoy more. 

The day began by spitting some blasphemous combination of rain and almost-snow. Pieces of this pesky gelatinous goo fell from the sky, whipped about by a cutting wind. The sun was trying to come out, but clouds were obscuring it at every turn. Such is the typical dilemma of November. 

In an effort to combat the dreariness and offer some shirtless, summery counterprogramming from the way-back and long-ago, here is a link to the Summer Pics that populated this site early in its inception. My… how times, hair, and stomach have changed! And oh, what fun we once had! 

We have a different kind of fun now – starting with a dinner party tonight featuring friends that go back to grade school…