Hello, November!

Well, it’s been a few weeks. So, here’s a series of random thoughts that I don’t necessarily have the bandwidth to dig into.

We’re still out of our home, the HOA’s insurance agent is dragging us along, and our lawyer is getting ready to pounce. It feels like we’re been in limbo for the last ten months, without access to our home or anything beyond the bare essentials. The uncertainty is draining and a bit stressful.

There is a lot of buzz around the Arizona elections this year. None of the candidates I voted for in the primaries are on the ballot. However, I’ve been attending town hall meetings and watching debates several times a week and feel good about our candidates. Some are quite green, but they have heart.

Last week, my boyfriend found and took an online autism spectrum screening questionnaire. He shared his scored (mildly autistic, per the quiz) and insisted I try. Well, I scored extremely high, which wasn’t much of a surprise. I’ve always been shy and awkward, consistently scored in the top 1% nationally on standardized math tests, and often become obsessive about certain topics. It’s spawned am entirely new breed of inside joke, and I’m here for it!

We just learned that my boyfriend has been accepted to naturopathic medical school, which is truly exciting! After numerous rejections from physician’s assistant programs due to diversity thresholds, we’re both feeling relief more than anything else. He’s worked so hard to get to this point, and I’m proud.

I recently finished the next book for my book club. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is the story of an elderly woman and teenage cancer patient who become friends through the hospital’s art class. Jointly, they have lived 100 years and document each year of their lives through paintings, while sharing their stories with one another. Though not a literary masterpiece, it was a sweet story.

In other entertainment news, I’ve recently discovered Korean dramas. My boyfriend and I have never owned a TV, but we’re staying with my in-laws and there’s not much to do. American shows have been a disappointment, so we’re exploring other options. First it was the Scottish comedy, Still Game. Recently, it’s been Mr. Sunshine, The King: Eternal Monarch, and Crash Landing On You. The cinematography and music is amazing, the acting is great, and the plots are so wholesome.

While Costco has had Christmas products on display since late-July, last week I began hearing Christmas music blaring from various speakers on a regular basis. The first song I heard was a reggae version of Mary’s Boy Child. I looked up at my boyfriend and sighed heavily. He declared that when he becomes supreme leader, holiday music will be forbidden until after Thanksgiving. Let’s just stick to Mannheim Steamroller, alright?

Speaking of the holidays, what are your plans for holiday gifting. With everyone feeling the pinch of inflation, my immediate family is doing a Secret Santa exchange, which has been far more complicated than it should be. I’m also having an impossible time finding affordable gifts for friends. At this point, I’m leaning towards consumables like good tea, Sichuan hot sauce, local honey, goat’s milk soaps, wildflower seeds from my garden, or some of the invasive canna lilies that I recently transplanted to pots. No random trinkets this year.

Another holiday dilemma is finding a cocktail dress for my company’s holiday party. I left most of my moldy clothes, which were cherished hand-me-down’s from an aunt with the same body shape, at our home. I had forgotten how much I despite clothes shopping. Everyone has qualms about right-fitting clothes, so here’s mine: I have the build of a lanky teenage boy… broad shoulders, flat chest, and no curves. And I don’t have access to my sewing machine, so the dreaded fitting room is in my future.

The other day, I asked my boyfriend whether he felt like this year had gone by quickly and he said. “no”. I don’t know where the time has gone. I’ve seen my health improve and I have more energy, but it still feels like we’re stuck in this strange limbo. We don’t have a home and, thus, I’m feeling like an tethered kite adrift on the wind. I’m moving, forward and upward, yet towards an unknown destination.